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The San Diego Wild Animal Park, located in the beautiful San Pasqual Valley area of San Diego, is one of the most sought after tourist attractions in the city as well as in Southern California. Though it is a zoo to the visitors, it is a home to many wild and endangered animals which includes species from different regions of Africa, Europe, Australia, Asia and North and South America. The greatest attraction of the San Diego Wild Animal Park is the Wgasa Railway. A ride on this train explores as much as 700 acres of the park where animals like antelopes, lions, cheetahs, giraffes, rhinos, okapis, elephants, bonobos, zebras, and Przewalski's horses roam about freely.
The park covers an area of 1800 acres. By 2005 estimate it provided home to 3000 animals belonging to 400 species. It also contains different species of rare plants (3500). The largest veterinary hospital in the world is located in the The San Diego Wild Animal Park . It comes under the management of the Zoological Society of San Diego. It is well known for its spectacular hornbill collection and also for its success achieved in the California condor breeding program.
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The San Diego Wild Animal Park opened in 1972. Two million people pay a visit to this park every year.
The open-range enclosures form the park's greatest attraction. Visitors are given a ride on a monorail to see different habitats of animals reflecting those of the Asian Plains, North Africa, East Africa, Asian Waterhole, South Africa and mountainous environment. From the rail only it is possible to view the small enclosed areas containing Somali wild asses, kiangs, Arabian oryx, gorals, Japanese serows, black rhinoceroses. The other attractions of the San Diego Wild Animal Park are the Park's Nairobi village, Condor Ridge and Heart of Africa. In the Nairobi Village a visitor can see small animals like pudu, red river hogs, an African Aviary, lemurs, flamingos, meerkats, babirusa and bee eaters. The village has a lagoon which is a habitat for the waterfowls. Condor Ridge exhibits endangered animal species of the desert of North America like the desert bighorn sheep. Heart of Africa is like a safari into the African wildlife on a rail. In this beautiful safari a visitor gets to see Sumatran tigers, separate herds of Asian and African elephants, ontebok, warthogs, ground hornbills, cheetahs.
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