Bookable
An Apollonaut travel guide
Moments in a longer story.
Selected milestones in the history of the San Diego Zoo.
On this page
A society, a park and new habitats
These dates describe the place you can learn about here. They are not a company timeline for Apollonaut.
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2 October 1916
A zoological society
The Zoological Society of San Diego holds its first meeting.
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1922
Into Balboa Park
The zoo begins moving to its site in Balboa Park and opens its first lion area without enclosing wire.
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1969
Skyfari
The Skyfari aerial tram is built.
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1975
Conservation science
The Center for Reproduction of Endangered Species is founded.
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2009
Elephant Odyssey
Elephant Odyssey opens on 23 May.
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2017
Africa Rocks
Africa Rocks opens on 1 July.
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2022
Wildlife Explorers Basecamp
A new area for young explorers opens on the site of the former Children’s Zoo.
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8 August 2024
Panda Ridge
The giant pandas Yun Chuan and Xin Bao make their public debut.
Follow the stories behind the dates
A timeline is a beginning. The longer history introduces the people and places; the sources below provide further context.
Read at the source
Sources & further reading
Links lead to the original publishers.