February 28, 2019
Volume 49 - No. 09
By Richard “Pete” Peterson
On a recent Saturday morning on Centre Center Parkway in Escondido, nine shoppers were asked the way to Safari Park. As the old joke goes, “You can’t get there from here, you have to go to San Diego,” was maybe the most knowledgeable response until Shopper Ten spoke up. “You mean, the old San Diego Wild Animal Park? Continue The Paper - 760.747.7119
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down this street ‘til you come to Highway 78. Hang a right. Safari Park is on your left after a short drive.” Bingo!
Known as the San Diego Wild Animal Park until 2010, Safari Park is an 1,800-acre zoo attraction located in the San Pasqual Valley area of Escondido. One of the largest tourist attractions in San Diego County, Safari Park is a relatively unknown and
underappreciated by many, though it has been in existence since 1964. Safari Park employs 400-600 seasonal workers augmented by 600 to 900 volunteers. One recent morning, of the twelve stands open for business, nine were staffed by volunteers.
The idea for the park began at the San Diego Zoological Society – the largest such membership organization in the
Safari Park - See Page 2
world - first as a supplementary breeding facility for the San Diego Zoo, then as a moneymaking attraction as ample space for large animals of the hooved variety was located.
From the very beginning, the development was designed to differ significantly from that of a typical zoo, in that animals would be exhibited in a natural environment rather than in cages or enclosures. In 1964,