According to,  What is my spirit animal.com 2019 Animal Holiday Calendar December 27th is Visit the Zoo Day!  What a wonderful event for any occasion, birthdays, anniversaries, dates, family outings!  

Quick Tip:MAY 9, 2019

USA Today names top ten best zoos, aquariums

USA Today’s 2019 Readers Choice awards shared the announcement of top ten zoos and top ten aquariums in North America. The number one zoo was the home of the beloved Fiona — who you can read about in this issue — the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. Both Ohio and Texas had multiple zoos in the list of favorites.

Of all the favorite aquariums, Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies was named number one.

The top ten zoos:

1. Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden – Cincinnati
2. Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium – Omaha
3. Saint Louis Zoo – St. Louis
4. Fort Worth Zoo – Fort Worth
5. Columbus Zoo and Aquarium – Columbus, Ohio
6. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo – Colorado Springs
7. Riverbanks Zoo & Garden – Columbia, S.C.
8. Memphis Zoo – Memphis
9. Audubon Zoo – New Orleans
10. Dallas Zoo – Dallas

Top ten aquariums:

1. Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies – Gatlinburg, Tenn.
2. The Florida Aquarium – Tampa
3. Audubon Aquarium of the Americas – New Orleans
4. Texas State Aquarium – Corpus Christi, Texas
5. Mystic Aquarium – Mystic, Conn.
6. Newport Aquarium – Newport, Ky.
7. North Carolina Aquariums – Multiple Locations
8. Vancouver Aquarium – Vancouver
9. Tennessee Aquarium – Chattanooga, Tenn.
10. Aquarium of the Pacific – Long Beach, Calif.

     I am not familiar nor do I live around the above mentioned places but I do live very close to the Santa Barbara Zoo!  The Zoo is located at 500 Ninos Drivel, Santa Barbara, CA 93103

This Zoo is a Central Coast Treasure, they commit themselves to the good health to the zoo animals!  When I attended my RVT Program at Allan Hancock College we had a Zoo employee Vet Tech come and give a presentation.  We were able to see inside videos of how they anesthetize large exotic animals to have medical care i.e. Dentals/Surgeries. It was awesome to see all the careful planning and devotion everyone took pre/intra/post procedure!  We had one student that got her RVT license from our class that now works at the Santa Barbara Zoo, she is still there and loves it! 

Quick Tip: The Santa Barbara Attractions: Be sure to check out the many attractions SB Zoo offers!

Animal Kitchen

Art Exhibit

Barnyard

Behind-the-Scenes Experiences

Engineer for a Day

Explorer Fundays

Climbing Wall

Kallman Family Play Area

Live Stage Shows

Rattlesnake Quarry

Walk on the Wild Side

Zoo Train

Some FYI on SB Zoo Ethics: 

ANIMAL CARE

Managing Captive Animal Populations

The Santa Barbara Zoo is one of the more than 220 accredited zoos and aquariums that participate in Species Survival Plans (SSP), a cooperative conservation program of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).

Over 200 different species are managed, aimed at maintaining genetic diversity within captive populations, sustaining these captive populations, and guarding against extinction.

But not every individual SSP animal breeds. Some may be too old, for example, or on exhibit by themselves. Others may not have the genetic makeup needed for diversity. Breeding decisions are made as part of both long and short term plans for what is needed within the captive population.

     If your ever in our neck of the woods, don’t be shy, visit the Santa Barbara Zoo! You’ll be glad you did!

Thanks For Reading 

Heidi Parker