San Diego Safari Park

My mom and I went to Murrieta for a few days to visit on of my mom's friends earlier this week. While we were there we went to the San Diego Safari Park in Escondido. I have always been in love with wild animals and it was so great to see them up close. When we got there I did not know what to expect. To get a feel for the lay out of the park we went on the tram that took us around their African Exhibits. We saw so many great animals, but my favorites would have to be the Rhinos and the Giraffes. Here are some good pictures from the ride on the tram:

After we got off the tram we walked around some more, making our way over to the Cheetahs. While we were there we caught the Cheetah Tails show. A trainer brought out a cheetah to a small grass area on a leech without any barriers. The trainer would walk around with the Cheetah so we could get a better look at him while we learned some information about Cheetahs. It was so cool to be only 5 feet away from the Cheetah. I wanted so badly to reach out and pet him. We were told before the show started that we were not allowed to reach out because it would make the Cheetah uncomfortable. But, being 5 feet away was good enough for me. It was such an awesome experience and my favorite moments of the day.

While we walked around I got some pictures of flowers

Such well trained animals. I would love to do something like this

They brought out the dog too. The cheetah and dog grew up together and do everything together except eat. The dog helps keep the cheetah calm.
This is how close I was, no zoom needed for this picture

My mom's friend Phyllis wanted to do the Flightline Safari. While we waited for her my mom and I saw the bird show. The show was really good and I was amazed at all the pretty birds. After the show we went and looked at the Gorillas. They were fun to watch.

Some great views of the Giraffes

After meeting up with Phyllis we decided that we have had enough and we started heading towards the exit. Before we left we went to see the Elephants. I had such a good time I was so amazed at everything I saw and experienced. Sorry for only posting pictures of only five animals, the tigers were not in their area and the lion exhibit was being redone.

It had rained the morning after so I got this good shot of one of Phyllis' flowers.