Life with Dylan

Category: San Diego Zoo Safari Park

  • Summer Safari is still going strong at San Diego Zoo Safari Park

    You don’t need to travel far to enjoy a Summer Safari with the animals at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Enjoy the sights and sounds of Africa as you are greeted by African Chief Kahle and the beating of an African drum circle. The children can make an African bead bracelet and get their very own safari hat for free at Safari Base Camp.

    The Summer Safari entertainment is awesome. You can plan your day ahead of time when you view the show schedule on the San Diego Zoo Safari Park website – and make sure to save some time to see the Animal Encounters at Safari Base Camp.

    Your Summer Safari won’t be complete without taking part in the African Extravaganza that occurs on the Summer Safari Stage. It is filled with music, dancing, drums, and more. Check the map for exact show times.

    Even though we visit the Safari Park on a regular basis, Summer Safari is always something we look forward to. There are so many great photo opportunities and you really feel like you are on safari with the authentic Summer Safari entertainment.

    Along with the sights and sounds of Summer Safari, you can enjoy what the park has to offer year-round. Take a ride on the Africa Tram to see rhinos, cheetahs, giraffes, and wildebeest or maybe you want to book one of the many Behind the Scenes Safaris to get a closer look at the park wildlife. Walking the park is a favorite of mine – Gorilla Forest, African Outpost, Lion Camp, Elephant Valley, Condor Ridge, and of course Tiger Territory.

    This annual event is still going strong, so get there before it ends on August 19.

    Summer Safari hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. so there is lots of time to see everything and enjoy a day with your family at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. You can also follow the San Diego Zoo Safari Park on twitter and Facebook to get details of new events and my favorite, new animals births at the park.

  • Instagram Summer

    I can’t believe my summer vacation is over in one short week. Where did the time go? 

    When I look back I think we didn’t really do that much – and then I scroll through my Instagram pictures and realize we did. 
    Days at the beach – impromptu trips for ice cream and frozen yogurt – visits to Aquarium of the Pacific, San Deigo Zoo, and his birthday at San Diego Zoo Safari Park – raising over $1,000 for the tigers – lazy days by the pool – sailing – time spent drawing – basketball at the park – Nighttime Zoo – Reptile Walk – Behind the Scenes Safari
      

    Not bad for a summer vacation. This week we have another trip to the San Diego Zoo, a final trip to Legoland, and of course time by the pool and beach. 
    The best part was that we spent time together. Late nights watching Animal Planet and NatGeo Wild were the best, but no Instagrams of that. 
    Dylan still has another month of summer vacation (lucky kid) and I’m sure he will have fun at Nature Camp and with Grandma. I’ve been having so much fun on my vacation that I never got around to my to do list of chores, but that’s ok, I’m sure they will all be there waiting for me next month. 
    What have you been up to this summer?

  • Why conservation is important to me

    Everyone has something they hold close to their heart. Something they are passionate about and that somehow connects with them on a personal level. As you have probably figured out, I am passionate about conservation and preserving what the earth has to offer for our future generations. 

    We recently lost an animal known as Lonesome George. He was the last of his species and now my family will never get to see this La Pinta Island giant tortoise. When my son and I read about this loss, we cried. Some may think crying over an animal you’ve never met is ridiculous. Others may think there are hundreds of other Galapagos tortoises – you see them at the zoo. These are the people that don’t get it. They don’t get the big picture and I would say that only a third of them ever will.

    I will probably live longer than the Northern White Rhino species. My sons children will probably never get a chance to see a Northern White Rhino. Why? Because these animals are hunted and killed … Just as the tigers and elephants are hunted and killed. When I read stories about this in the news, like the one I read today, it makes me sad and angry. I sit here racking my brain trying to figure out how I can help. These animals can’t talk. They can’t ask for help. So it is up to people like me, people who call themselves conservationist, to bring awareness to others about the plight of these animals and the importance of keeping them alive. Not just for our children and grandchildren to see, but for the survival of the animal world.

    When I see a picture of an endangered animal or one at the zoo or read a sign at the zoo that says only 39 left in the wild, I literally stop and catch my breath. These animals are so beautiful and I fear that too many people take them for granted.

    Don’t assume that because you can see an animal at a zoo today it will still be there in 20 years. Zoos educate us about the animals and let us see them up close, but the best way to ensure a species survival is for the species to thrive in the wild.

    Once you come face to face with an endangered animal, you will do whatever it takes to save them. I am proud to call myself a conservationist. I will continue to be an advocate for the environment and wildlife because one person can and does make a difference.

    Con·ser·va·tion·ist
    Noun: A person who advocates or acts for the protection and preservation of the environment and wildlife.

  • It’s National Zoo Keeper Week!

    There are many national appreciation weeks for various professions, but this one is special to me for more than one reason. The obvious is that Dylan and I visit the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park on what some may call a regular basis – we actually consider them our second homes. Many of the keepers we know by name and they have become our friends. We look forward to seeing them almost as much as seeing the animals (many of which we also know by name).

    The other reason this week is so special to me is that my son wants to be a Zookeeper. He wants to be just like the people he admires – and yes, he wants to pick up animal poop! Most people don’t know what a Zookeeper really does and I think our friend Zookeeper Rick said it best in a recent Facebook post.

    What is a Zookeeper?

    Zookeepers are caretakers. Zookeepers are house keeping. Zookeepers are chefs. Zookeepers are educators. Zookeepers are construction workers. Zookeepers are gardeners. Zookeepers are parents to animals in need of a mom or dad. Zookeepers are the voice for those who don’t speak our language. Zookeepers are nurses. Zookeepers are friends to other species. Zookeepers are advocates for conservation. Zookeepers are scientists. Zookeepers are behaviorist. – Rick Schwartz

    I know Zookeepers arrive to work hours before the zoo even opens and even though we don’t always see them, they are working hard behind the scenes. Sometimes they work late into the night preparing a PowerPoint presentation or writing a research paper for a publication – they help promote conservation and teach us things that help us understand the bigger picture. 

    For me, the most special thing about Zookeepers is the time they take to talk to the people visiting the zoos. Zookeepers truly love their jobs and have a passion for sharing that love with others.


    When was the last time you thanked a Zookeeper?

  • Birthday wishes really do come true

    Tomorrow is Dylan’s 9th birthday and all he wanted for his birthday was to raise $1,000 for the tigers at San Diego Zoo Safari Park. He wanted to help save the species from extinction and build a new home for them called Tiger Trail.

    As you probably know, Dylan had various fundraisers, recycled cans and bottles, saved all of his allowance money, and many people donated money in his name. Some people I know and some who donated are complete strangers who found Dylan’s story and donated through social media links.

    I am very happy to report that as of today Dylan has raised $1,317 for Tiger Trail.

    (and that’s not including birthday money that I know is coming in the mail still from family)

    Tomorrow we will be spending the day at the Safari Park and meeting some big cats, including the tigers, up close on a Behind the Scenes Safari Tour that we won from the Pin It For Tigers contest last month.  The perfect birthday as far as Dylan is concerned.

    Although Dylan has met his goal, the tigers still need our help. For the Safari Park to receive the anonymous donation of $9 million, they must raise $2 million on their own.

    This is a screen shot from the Safari Parks website showing how much they have raised so far. As you can see, they are almost halfway there.

    Whether you make a donation in Dylan’s name or just go to the Tiger Trail Challenge website makes no difference to me. What matters is that you donate. For every $2 that is donated, the park receives $9 – which means Dylan’s $1,217 is actually $5,476. That is pretty amazing if you ask me.

    The Safari Park has until December 31, 2012 to meet the $2 million goal.

    Dylan and I will continue to send money because this is something that we both believe in.
    For all of you who donated in Dylan’s name and  helped make his birthday wish come true …

    THANK YOU!



  • Protect the environment and donate your used cell phones

    Dylan will be collecting used cell phones from June 25 through July 10, 2012


    Once his box is full, he will be sending the phones to the fundraising company and they will send him a check for the phones based on their market value price list. Every phone is worth something and every little bit will help him reach his goal of $1,000



    Cell phone facts:

    ·Over
    100 million cell phones are stockpiled in U.S. households creating 50,000 tons
    of potentially hazardous waste.

    ·On
    average Americans replace their cell phones every 12-18 months. An estimated
    130 million cell phones are discarded annually in the U.S. alone.

    ·Cell
    phones contain toxic substances including Arsenic, Antimony, Beryllium,
    Cadmium, Copper, Lead, Nickel and Zinc which leach into soil and groundwater
    and form toxins during incineration which have been associated cancer and a
    range of reproductive, neurological and developmental disorders.

    ·The
    cadmium from a single cell phone is capable of polluting 158,200 gallons of
    water. (That’s 2.4 million 8-ounce sodas!)

  • If I can make one person aware, then I have accomplished my goal

    When someone tells me I can’t do something, that what I am doing doesn’t matter in the big picture – well, that just makes me do it even more.

    People told me I was crazy to change my blog and stop doing the “blogger” thing. That nobody wanted to read about animals, conservation, the environment, or my beliefs toward these issues. I have been told that I am alienating my “friends”. Well, if these so called friends respected me and my beliefs, then they wouldn’t feel this way. Rather, they would support me.

    A little over a week ago, I tweeted this picture of Nola and Angalifu from the San Diego Zoo Safari Park with the caption “This picture shows 1/4 of the world’s Northern White Rhino population. Warning it may shock you”

    Yes, you did the math correctly. There are only 7 Northern White Rhinos left living in the world. These animals are critically endangered and will be disappear in your lifetime if something is not done to stop the poachers.

    Between my tweet, the re-tweets, my posting on Facebook, and the Facebook shares – over 20,000 people saw this picture. In fact, someone just re-tweeted this yesterday so that number has increased.

    That my friends is called creating awareness and making a difference. 

    I entered a contest and created a board on Pinterest called Pin It For Tigers to show how beautiful these animals are and bring attention to the drastically declining numbers in the wild. I became an advocate for the tigers. Once my board was named as one of the finalist, I had 20 new followers of that board and several re-pins.

    That my friends is called creating awareness and making a difference.

    When my 8-year old son decided to raise money for the tigers at San Diego Zoo Safari Park in lieu of birthday presents and a party, his friends began asking him how they could help. Third graders wanted to know about the plight of the tigers – and you know that they went home and told their parents about what Dylan said in his class.

    That my friends is called creating awareness and making a difference.

    When I share pictures of new babies born at zoos and aquariums, they make people smile. Who doesn’t melt when they see a picture like this? These people will then want to visit the zoos and aquariums, which are mostly non-profit organizations, in turn helping to support the animals and the conservation efforts made for them.

    Photo courtesy of Terri Haines, Aquarium of the Pacific



    That my friends is called creating awareness and making a difference.

    No matter what your passion is …

    No matter what your cause is …

    Regardless of your age …

    Never.

    Ever.

    Underestimate the power you have to create awareness and make a difference in the world.

  • We Pinned It For Tigers – and we Won!

    As you may know, about a month ago I started a Pinterest board to create awareness and spread the word about the plight of the tigers. This board was created to enter a contest put on by the San Diego Zoo Safari Park as part of their 40th Anniversary and Endangered Species Day. Little did I know that by creating this board I would find a new love for these big cats and spark a fire in my son’s heart as well.

    Dylan’s reaction to winning.

    Last week, the top three boards were announced on the San Diego Zoo Safari Parks Facebook page and we were one of them. Now it was up to the fans to vote and select a winning board. The grand prize was a Behind the Scenes Tour to meet the big cats of the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Thanks to fan votes, we won the contest!

    I was so excited that I called Dylan’s teacher and asked if I could come share the good news with him during class. When I walked in the room, his eyes began to water. He knew why I was there. After sharing the story with his classmates, they all applauded and began asking him how they could help too.

    When creating my Pinterest board, I didn’t want just pictures of tigers – I wanted to show more. I found pictures of tiger cakes, tiger jewelry, artwork, and more importantly pictures that truly showed the plight of the tigers. These animals are being hunted by poachers in such a cruel manner. This is what I wanted to show, and in the process I was brought to tears. I found a new love for tigers that I was able to share and hopefully inspire others to share too.

    Our Pin It For Tigers Board

    Shortly after starting the Pin it for Tigers board, Dylan and I visited the San Diego Zoo Safari Park for Endangered Species Day. This is when Dylan found his love for tigers and decided to do his part.

    Together, Dylan and I will continue to share our love for tigers and all other endangered species – because we now know that even one person, no matter how old, can make a difference.

    Photo courtesy of World Wildlife Fund

  • Dylan’s Birthday Wish for the Tigers

    Dylan has always loved animals and over the past year his love has become more of a way of life. He would rather watch documentaries about animals than cartoons and has been collecting animal reference books since before he could even read. Adopting animals is second nature to him and he wants to be a zookeeper when he grows up.

    Knowing this about him, it should not have surprised me when he told me what he wanted for his 9th birthday – yet what he said took my breath away and was probably the proudest moment in my life as his mother. On a recent visit to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park for Endangered Species Day, we had the opportunity to meet Joan Embery and hear her speak about the wonderful conservation efforts that have been made over the past 40 years.

    Dylan listened so intently to every word said. I do believe he stopped breathing for a moment when she announced that an anonymous donation was being made to the new Tiger Trail in the amount of $9 million. However, there was a catch. They must raise $2 million by the end of 2012 to get the $9 million. He turned to me and said, “Mom, I want to help too”

    At this moment there was no doubt in my mind that he was sincere. After reading about the new Tiger Trail and seeing sketches of what the exhibit would look like when completed, it was time to start planning. When Dylan learned that making a $1,000 donation would allow him to have his name inscribed along with other Tiger Trail Sponsors on a recognition plaque at the entrance to the new exhibit his eyes lit up.

    I explained this was a lot of money – then he surprised me again. “Mom, I don’t want birthday presents or a party. I just want money to help the tigers” …
    Wow! Did this just come out of an 8-year old child’s mouth?

    I told him if he was going to ask people for donations to help him reach his goal that they would want to know why this was so important to him. So I asked him a few questions.

    Why do you want to help build Tiger Trail?
    “Because the tigers need a safe home to live. They can’t do anything about the poachers who want to kill them in the wild. Tiger Trail will give them more freedom and more room to play and interact with others.”

    What will it mean to you to have your name inscribed on a plaque at the new exhibit?
    “Everything! It will mean everything to me. It will make me very, very happy and proud because it means that I helped the tigers and made a difference in their lives.”

    So there you have it. Dylan’s birthday wish is to donate $1,000 to Tiger Trail. 

    I contacted the Zoological Society of San Diego to see what could be done. An honorarium has been established in Dylan’s name and all donations made through this link, with the information entered as explained below, will be credited to him. By selecting Dylan Fryer as the honoree and making a donation through this link, you will be helping Dylan and the tigers, plus your donation to the Zoological Society of San Diego is tax-deductible.

    Dylan will only receive credit for your donation if his name is entered as the honoree and Tiger Trail is selected as the gift designation. 

    Here is a screen shot of the donation page with instructions for the Honorary donation.

    Honoree: Dylan Fryer
    Send notification to: Michelle Fryer

    Dylan’s birthday is in July and his goal is to raise the $1,000 by July 31st.

    As a special thank you, Dylan will be sending a set of tiger note cards (handmade from pictures I took of the tigers at the San Diego Zoo) to everyone who donates $25 or more.

    In order to protect the privacy of the donors, the Zoological Society of San Diego is unable to release any personal information to me; including donation amount, email address, and mailing address. If you have made a donation of $25 or more and would like the note cards, please email me your name and mailing address to mlynnfryer@gmail.com

    Thank you for helping make a birthday wish come true for Dylan and for the Tigers of the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

    I would like give special thanks to Liane, from the Zoological Society of San Diego, for all of her help in setting up the donations and tracking the donations made in Dylan’s honor.




    *Update*
    Dylan’s story appeared on the front page of the Newport Beach Independent on June 22, 2012.

  • Happy Endangered Species Day!

    Whether you have a favorite endangered species or not, today is a day to create awareness worldwide about the animals that may be extinct sooner than you think. Sure, many of these animals can be seen in zoos, but what about in the wild? Species need to thrive in their natural habitat and reproduce to ensure their survival for many years to come.

    Many species are listed as endangered and even more as vulnerable. Although I wish all animals were off the endangered species list, I have a soft spot for the tigers.

    Extinction is forever, Endangered means we still have time.

    Believe it or not, poaching and smuggling of animals does exist and is more common than you think. A recent story of illegal exotic animal carcases found near Bangkok is just another reason that I feel it important to bring awareness to people about conservation.

    Dylan and I will be spending today at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park to celebrate Endangered Species Day and the 40th anniversary of the park. For 40 years, the park has been making a difference, raising awareness, and inspiring others to do the same. There is no other place I would rather be on this special day.

    While one person can’t save all the animals, one person can make a difference. Get involved and join a group of others who want the same – San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy is working together to bring these animals back from the brink of extinction. Some species like the tigers and rhinos have a long way to go, but others have had great success.