Life with Dylan

Category: San Diego Zoo Safari Park

  • Happy Global Tiger Day!

  • The journey to Tiger Trail continues

    On a recent visit to the Safari Park, Dylan was stopped dead in his tracks when he saw this sign.

    He read it, turned around to face me and said, “Mom, that’s me they are talking about.”

    Yes it is Dylan. Yes it is.

    He was so proud and overwhelmed with joy. He just stood there.
    Touching the sign.
    Bonding with the tiger in his own way.

    I will admit I had tears in my eyes watching him. When I asked if I could take his picture with the sign he smiled and said, “You better!”

    He then proceeded to give the tigers a little more – because that’s just how he rolls …

    and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

  • It’s a beautiful day for a balloon ride

  • A final farewell to Butterfly Jungle

    We enjoyed out first visit so much that we just had to go back to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park for a second visit before butterfly jungle fluttered away until next year.

    I wouldn’t say our second visit was better or worse than the first, but rather different.

    A whole new experience – with some new butterflies not seen before.

    More butterfly pictures from our second visit are in my Butterfly Jungle Flickr album.

  • Flutter into a world like no other when you visit Butterfly Jungle at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park

    You know spring has arrived when the days are a little brighter, the flowers begin to bloom, and the butterflies arrive at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

    Imagine being Alice when she first enters Wonderland – this is what you feel like when walking through the doors to Butterfly Jungle. 

    Suddenly everything around you is alive with beauty and vibrant color. 

    It is the best kind of sensory overload you can have. The sound of birds overhead, the warm feeling of tropical humidity, the smell of sweet nectar from the flowers, and the abundance of little wings fluttering all around you. 

    It is truly a magical experience. One that must be experienced again and again.

    Aside from the breathtaking beauty, Butterfly Jungle also helps bring awareness to the endangered status of the many species of butterflies. 

    During our first visit to Butterfly Jungle last week, there were over 30 species of butterflies flittering around the exhibit from four parts of the world; Africa, Asia and Central and South America. 

    Leopard Lacewing Butterfly


    These delicate creatures have a great conservation message. The butterflies come to the Safari Park in the pupa stage via Federal Express overnight delivery from countries like El Salvador, Costa Rica and Columbia.

    Emerging Box

    The pupae are shipped in small cotton trays, carefully unpacked, and then immediately hung in the emerging boxes where they will emerge within a few days to one week. Since the butterflies are endangered and from outside of the United States, the Safari Park is required to have a special USDA permit allowing them to house the butterflies.

    While attending a special social media tweetup, we had the opportunity to learn some fascinating things from butterfly keeper Sara Schmitt. We learned that butterfly farming is a sustainable use of the rain forest in countries like Costa Rica, where the first shipment of 500 butterfly pupae came from. By importing thousands of butterfly pupae every spring, the Safari Park is promoting conservation of rain forest habitat in these countries. Butterfly farming allows farmers to leave their land in its pristine natural form and harvest butterflies as a sustainable occupation.

    Butterfly Jungle opened March 16th and runs through April 7th. If you havenot had the chance to go, I highly recommend you plan a visit over Spring Break. Be sure to check out the Safari Park’s Butterfly Jungle web page before you go  – there are a variety of activities, butterfly I.D. guide, and contests too! My favorite is the Instagram contest. Just tag your Instagram photos with #ButterflyJungle and you are automatically entered. 

    Zebra Longwing


    We enjoyed Butterfly Jungle so much that we are going back this weekend for one more visit before the exhibit closes on April 7, 2013. 

    … And this time I won’t forget to buy my butterfly coffee mug 😉


    To see more pictures from Butterfly Jungle you can view my album on Flickr. 


  • Tiger cubs celebrate their 1st birthday at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park

    Hard to believe it has already been a year since these two adorable tiger cubs pounced their way into our hearts … Happy 1st Birthday Conrad and Thomas!

                              Photo courtesy of San Diego Zoo Safari Park – June 26, 2012

    You have grown into two very handsome young tigers and I know your Dad Utan is looking down on you with so much pride. Enjoy those tasty bloodsicles I’m sure you will get today. 


  • Cactus Skies at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park

    I love the simple beauty that Mother Nature provides us with.

  • My ah-ha moment was almost too simple to see

    What started as one of our regular visits to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park – see some wildlife, take some pictures, and get my rhino fix – turned into something so much more than I had planned. I guess I shouldn’t really be surprised because every time we visit the park I leave feeling a little different, a little better, a little more at peace with the world than I did when we arrived.

    We didn’t follow the normal route this day. Instead, we decided to take the back way up to Condor Ridge before the sun got too hot. The smell of the trees as you walk up to Condor Ridge is so refreshing. Add to this the sounds of babbling brooks and small woodland creatures rustling in the bushes. Before you know it, you are transported to a land of pure beauty where nothing bad can happen.

    Surrounded by majestic trees and rolling hillsides … the view literally takes my breath away.

    I could sit up here for hours just soaking in the beauty. I realize that I am in the midst of what some call an ah-ha moment – I close my eyes and take a deep breath. Just then my son sits down next to me on the bench and says, “Mom, isn’t it nice to just sit and watch nature?” My heart fluttered a bit and I felt a tear roll down my cheek. How could he know what I was thinking?

    Yes, it was a wonderful moment. One that I believe we both needed. In our own ways, we both came to a place of peace. Surrounded by the beauty of Mother Nature, watching rhinos and giraffes roam the hills in the distance with my son, everything seemed to become clear to me.

    My ah-ha moment was almost too simple for me to see.

    When I stopped running in circles and took the time to breathe, I realized that the important things in life are not on Facebook, or Google Plus, or Twitter.

    The important things in life are right in front of me …  

  • San Diego Zoo Safari Park Tiger Trail Challenge Update

    Many of you have been following Dylan’s birthday wish for the tigers at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and have asked for updates. Well, this update has me beaming with pride for more reasons than one.

    I received an email yesterday from one of my contacts at the Zoological Society of San Diego about Dylan’s fundraising and couldn’t believe what I was reading. I found out that Douglas Myers, CEO of the Zoological Society of San Diego, referenced Dylan as an inspiration for others to donate to Tiger Trail during a luncheon earlier this month. Really? My child was named as an inspiration by the CEO? Not only is this super cool, but it makes me proud and humbles me as a mom.

    Since my last post about his fundraising, Dylan has received more donations and has now raised over $1,300 for the tigers. With the match from the anonymous donor, this money will mean so much for the tigers. The San Diego Zoo Safari Park is so close to making the goal, but they still need our help.

    Here is a current screen shot showing how close they are. More than half way with a little over 120 days to go. It’s truly amazing and so inspiring to know people are helping the species survive.

    With fewer than 350 Sumatran tigers left in the wild, watching this bar graph move closer to the $2 million goal gives me hope. Thanks to the help of my son’s birthday wish, friends and family who donated, and people all over the world who have helped make this happen, the Safari Park has announced that they look forward to groundbreaking in 2013.

    If you wish to help Dylan raise more money for the tigers please read Dylan’s Birthday Wish for the Tigers

  • Utan’s legacy lives on at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park

    It is no secret that I love animals and that I will do whatever I can to bring awareness to the plight of endangered species. I learn as much as I can about the animals who live at the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park – and when my son and I visit them, we call them by name. These are not pets, they are wild animals. However, for those of us who love them as if they were our family pets, losing one is not easy. Especially when the one lost is a critically endangered species.

    We cry and we mourn the loss – and if we are lucky, we celebrate the legacy that was left behind.

    Last month, the Safari Park lost a very special friend named Utan. He was a beautiful Sumatran tiger who fathered 4 liters, totaling 10 cubs, together with Delta.

    Two of Utan’s cubs – Majel pouncing on Joanne when they were only 3 months old.
    Photo courtesy of San Diego Zoo Safari Park – Jan. 28, 2011

    Utan was born on July 12, 1990 (Dylan loved the fact that Utan’s birthday was one day before his). Wild tigers will live about 10 to 15 years, while tigers living in zoos live about 15 to 20 years. Utan lived for 22 years. Tigers in zoos live longer because they have excellent veterinary care, no predators, and no humans trying to hunt them illegally. The San Diego Zoo Safari Park does amazing work with the breeding of endangered species and educating people about the importance of conservation. Utan and his cubs are proof of that.

    According to the staff at  the Safari Park, “Utan suffered from renal disease. He was treated by veterinarians and keepers to extend his life, but ultimately renal disease severely affected his quality of life. Renal disease is common in many species of cats and is a disease that generally affects older animals. Until his death, Utan did have the opportunity to explore the tiger exhibit on a rotation schedule. Some days it was him, others it was Majel and Joanne, and other days it was Delta.”

    Delta with Conrad (on top of her) and Thomas by her feet.
    Photo courtesy of San Diego Zoo Safari Park – June 26, 2012

    As difficult as it is to write this, I can only hope that Utan’s passing will encourage more people to spread the news about how much these tigers need our help.

    A recent news release from the San Diego Zoo Safari Park stated that there are fewer than 350 Sumatran tigers in the wild, and that number continues to drop. Scientists estimate that this species could be extinct in its native Sumatra by 2020 unless drastic measures are taken to protect and preserve it. Tigers face many challenges in the wild, from loss of habitat to human-tiger conflict, but the biggest threat continues to be poaching. Tigers are killed by poachers, who illegally sell tiger body parts, mostly for folk remedies. People can help protect wild tigers by making smart consumer decisions to avoid products that harm tiger habitat and refusing to purchase items made from endangered wildlife.

    To learn more about what the tigers are facing, read my post I have a new found love for tigers. You can also help Utan’s legacy by supporting San Diego Zoo Global at TigerMatch.org We may have lost one, but that doesn’t mean we have to lose any more.

    Remember, Extinction is forever … Endangered means we still have time.

    So as the tears roll down my face, I will say my last good-bye.

    Utan, you will be missed. I will continue to fight for your family and create awareness in others. Even if I can only reach one person, that is ok, because one person can make a difference. Just look how much of a difference you made – 10 beautiful cubs that will carry on your legacy.
    Good-bye Utan.