Zoo Tours: NEW! Wildlife Explorers Basecamp | San Diego Zoo

Episode 130

ATTENTION ALL WILDLIFE EXPLORERS! A new exhibit awaits you at the San Diego Zoo! Previous episodes spent time exploring the park's revolutionary past - discussing their groundbreaking for their time carnivore grottoes, breeding success, and ability to create a true tropical forest. Today's topic will cover Children's Zoo... I know, if you travel from zoo to zoo, you might not be interested. However, this is San Diego we're talking about! A place that's striven to be different for the past century. When you think of 'Children's Zoo', you might picture a compilation of domestic animals. San Diego debuted their Children's Zoo in the 50's and even then, it was revolutionary for its time.

The same can still be said today - in 2022 they unveiled the Wildlife Explorers Basecamp, which set a new standard to the meaning of 'Children's Zoo'. This 3 acre campus encourages anyone of any age to learn about nature's mysteries, play, and encounter new creatures in hopes that you'll develop empathy for wildlife. The basecamp offers unbelievably close encounters with caimans, Komodo dragons, a rotating list of ambassador animals, squirrel monkeys, lungfish, a hive of bees, hummingbirds and nearly hundreds more. Enjoy!

Species List as of November 2022:

Extension of the Reptile Complex
• Komodo Dragon (3 exhibits)

Hummingbird Habitat (replaced old one)
• Wattled Jacana, Pompadour Cotinga, Screaming Piha, Spangled Cotinga, Green-backed Trogon, Golden-collared Manakin, Violaceous Euphonia, Green Honeycreeper, Purple Honeycreeper, Emerald Hummingbird, Amazilia Hummingbird, Costa’s Hummingbird, Anna’s Hummingbird, Turquoise Tanager, Blue-necked Tanager, Swallow Tanager, Bananaquit, Crested Quail-dove, Spotted Tanager

RAINFOREST PART I

Spineless Marvels Upper Floor
• Peruvian Jumping Stick
• Dragon-headed Katydid
• Lubber Grasshopper
• Ghost Mantis
• Domino Roach
• African Whip Spider
• Taxicab Beetle
• Madagascar Hissing Cockroach
• Leaf Insect
• White-eyed Assassin Bug
• Vampire Crab
• Ghost Mantis (Again)
• Jade-headed Buffalo Beetle
• Derby’s Flower Beetle, Magnificent Flower Beetle
• Western Honeybee
• Blue Morpho

Ambassador Animals - Also rotates Southern Tamandua, Common Wombat, and Linne’s Two Toed Sloth
• Empty Outdoor Exhibit
• Caracal
• Bearcat

Cool Critters Upper Floor
• Fiji Banded Iguana
• Madagascar Tree Boa
• Woma
• Pygmy Spiny-tailed Skink
• Rosy Boa
• Angolan Python
• Ball Python
• Annulated Boa
• Green Tree Python

WILD WOODS

• Guianan Squirrel Monkey
• South American Coati

DESERTS DUNES

• Fennec Fox
• Burrowing Owl

MARSH MEADOWS
• West African Dwarf Crocodile
• Red Empress, Pascagoula Map Turtle, Southwestern Pond Turtle, Spotted Turtle, Bluegill

RAINFOREST PART II

Cool Critters Lower Level
• Chinese Giant Salamander
• South American Lungfish, Caiman Lizard
• West African Lungfish
• Pascagoula Map Turtle
• Amazon Milk Frog
• Lake Titicaca Frog
• Axolotl
• Ferocious Water Bug, Sunburst Diving Beetle
• Dwarf Caiman, Yellow-spotted River Turtle

• Burmese Star Tortoise (apparently considered part of Desert Dunes)

Spineless Marvels Lower Level
• Blue Morpho
* Coconut Crab
• Giant African Millipede
• Puerto Rican Arboreal Millipede, Rhinoceros Beetle
• Coconut Crab
• Leaf-cutter Ant
• Honeypot Ant
• Desert Carpenter Ant
• Naked Mole Rat
• Brazilian Black Tarantula
• Brazilian White-knee Tarantula
• Antilles Tarantula
• Curly Hair Tarantula
• Desert Hairy Scorpion
• Mexican Fireleg Tarantula
• Emperor Scorpion
• Giant Cave Cockroach
• African Whip Spider
• New Guinea Stick Insect
• Peruvian Fire Stick
• Giant Leaf Insect
• Children’s Stick Insect
• Goliath Stick Insect

*➡️GET YOUR ZOO TOURS MERCH HERE! Remember to use the promocode ZOOTOURS to get 10% OFF:

Grab your FAHLO bracelet and you can directly help save animals with every order! Every purchase also comes with an info card of a living Polar Bear, Shark, Elephant, Sea Turtle, Penguins and now Lions! You get to know their name, life story, and see where they are on your phone at all times. My Elephant's name is Luna! Best part is, part of the proceeds goes towards non-profits who save wildlife.

Use the code ZOOTOURS to get 20% OFF your bracelet!

Join this channel to get access to live streaming, bonus content, and staying in the loop:

[ZooTours]

*Even though I've done this a couple of times in the past, someone had a wonderful suggestion that I create some sort of map of the showcased attraction. That way it's easier to give a sense of direction of where we and where the habitats are. So the link below is a simple guide that shows what order I explored and filmed the Wildlife Explorers Basecamp:*


*Before you ask! Yes, this is a re-upload. Though I later won the dispute (of course), I was hit with a copyright warning after using a royalty free song... Regardless, there was an identification error that needed to be correct anyways. So thank you to both returning and new viewers, and I hope you enjoyed the longest tour on the channel!*

[Echobeluga]

I loved that West African lungfish so much too! Thank you for choosing to feature Wildlife Explorers Base Camp!

[Darth_Doom]

Native from San Diego and long time Zoo member, miss so much since i moved to South Carolina

[noahm]

This is definitely a one of a kind Children’s Zoo!

[ckm]

That leaf cutter ant island is an actual game changer that really surprised me but this is San Diego we're talking about

[RainbowBoo]

That open air leaf cutter ant exhibit is really cool

[lesliechu]

Omg! So cool! Yet, my favorite exhibit is the Elephant Odyssey exhibit, which they made a computer game of it! And plus, an Asian Palm Civet should be in the Basecamp in a 3rd empty cage next to the binturong & the caracal of course! So, try visiting the San Diego Zoo Safari Park soon, along with the Woodland Park Zoo, Oakland Zoo, San Francisco Zoo, Sacramento Zoo, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Disney's Animal Kingdom, & Bearizona! Also, 5 zoo trivia questions for you & your girlfriend, Zak....

1) What exhibit did the Monterey Bay Aquarium once had with freshwater otters?

2) What animal did the San Francisco Zoo once have in their Puente Al Sur exhibit?

3) How would you rate SeaWorld San Diego's new Sea Turtle Trek attraction?

4) What animal did the San Francisco Zoo once bred back in 2000-2008 before the new Chacoan Peccaries moved in?

5) What 2 animals did the Oakland Zoo once had before 14 to 23 years ago?

[NatureVerse.]

I have to say that I was really impressed with this children's zoo. It's wild animals and not farm animals. It connects kids with wildlife which is amazing.

[tarapelcher]

2:24 i❤ zoos. That’s the zoo that’s on my bucket list

[bkfireshark]

No question, my favorite attraction is the Lost Forest. Sometimes, I don't even need to see the animals. Just find a bench and enjoy the sights and sounds of nature

[TheCreatureChronicles]

Way to start off the year with a tour at San Diego Zoo!

I wasn't expecting this tour to be so big, with so many animals to see and learn about. I'm definitely going to have to check this out when I visit next year!

[coasterzigner]

I'm SO Glad I have the privilege of living close enough to the SDZoo to really experience it time and time again. It truly is a superb zoo! That question is so difficult to answer! I think my favorite thing about the zoo is the architecture around it with Balboa Park, actually! It's very inspiring! However, if I had to choose a habitat or experience within the zoo itself, I think I'd choose maybe the Orangutans or the Sun Bear trail for how interactive the Orangutans were to me last time and I love a Sun Bear! But again, the Aviaries, the Flamingoes even, the Maned wolf, the Koalas.... there's really just too many great encounters to experience at the zoo. I could really narrow it down to what I DO NOT want to experience: the nope ropes. NOPE, no sneks. Nope!

[Darkplasma]

Great video Zach! I gotta say I really enjoyed this longer video! Please do make more!

[nickyteske]

squirrel monkeys are my favorite kind of monkey since i bought a plushie of one in a zoo gift shop they look so cute

[theimmigrant]

The San Diego zoo just keeps getting better and better. All we need is for them to fix up the Urban Jungle.

[BubbleMaster]

I love this channel so much
I don't live in America so I can't see these awesome zoos irl
But thanks to this channel I still get a cool experience

[migueljose]

My Favorite Attraction Is The Bat Enclosure

[SirKolass]

12:37 This reminds me of Jurassic World haha

[OldCountry]

Were those info boards in the Cool Critters building touch screen or interactive? They look similar to Fort Worth's Mola information screens which you can swipe and interact with. Either way I'm in love with the stream led lights!

[TheGamingTigerKing]

For the question of the episode that’s a tricky one, I’ve only been to San Diego Twice but really my favorite area is the Lost Forest mainly because it feels like your in a actual Jungle.