Santa Barbara Zoo
Encyclopedia
The Santa Barbara Zoo is located on 30 acres (12.1 ha) near the ocean in Santa Barbara, California
. It was formerly known as the Child's Estate Zoo. The zoo has been ranked numerous times as one of the nation's best small zoos. It has 600 animals in numerous exhibits, including capybara
and Californian Condors, and is famous for having had a giraffe
with a crooked neck. It first opened in August, 1963.
s, opened in 2003. Built on a hillside, the area's black-footed cat exhibit is at the top of the slope, with the lion exhibit on the slope itself. The lions are visible from a platform near the black-footed cat exhibit.
The Forest's Edge houses two male western lowland gorilla
s. The exhibit opened in 1996 and has a glass-walled viewing area as well as an overlook from a replica ranger station.
California Trails exhibits California condor
s, Channel Island fox, desert tortoise
s and bald eagle
s. The condor aviary can be viewed from two sides, including on an elevated path lower on the hillside, past the bald eagles, and leading to The Forest's Edge.
Exhibiting animals from the savanna, African Veldt has Baringo giraffe
s, East African crowned cranes, and Sulcata tortoises in a multi-species enclosure as well as slender-tailed meerkats
in a smaller exhibit.
The Crawford Family Penguin House opened in June 2006. It houses a colony of Humboldt penguin
s and has above- and under-water viewing. In the rest of the exhibit area are Inca tern
s and other coastal South American birds.
Elephant Walk opened in 1972 and houses Asian elephant
s. The exhibit was renovated in 2005, enlarging both the land area and pool size, and an area for Asian pond turtles was added nearby.
, (July 16, 1986 – January 9, 2008) the "crooked-necked giraffe," was one of the most popular animals at the Santa Barbara Zoo. A Baringo giraffe
, she was born with a straight neck at the San Diego Wild Animal Park
. At the age of three she developed a bend in her neck. The zoo's veterinarian said that despite her deformity, “Gemina led a very typical existence and was treated as a normal member of the herd. She did not appear to be in discomfort and exhibited normal giraffe behaviors.”
Gemina was euthanized
at the age of 21 years. "Consistent with the challenges of old age," she had lost her appetite and experienced a decline in quality of life. It is believed that her deformity was not a cause of the condition that led to the decision to euthanize her.
, in which she was credited with inspiring a child with scoliosis
.
The Santa Barbara Zoo was featured in an episode of Behind the Bash
in March 2006, when Giada de Laurentiis
visited a catered wedding taking place at the zoo.
Gemina was mentioned in the show Alias (TV series)
: Sydney (Jennifer Garner
) says "Yeah, I love it [Santa Barbara]. The zoo, that giraffe with the crooked neck." In another episode, Vaughn (Michael Vartan) says, "We went to Santa Barbara...and she [Sydney] wouldn't stop talking about the Zoo...I had this great evening planned, and I...ended up proposing on one knee in sawdust in front of a giraffe with a crooked neck."
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
. It was formerly known as the Child's Estate Zoo. The zoo has been ranked numerous times as one of the nation's best small zoos. It has 600 animals in numerous exhibits, including capybara
Capybara
The capybara , also known as capivara in Portuguese, and capibara, chigüire in Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador ronsoco in Peru, chigüiro, and carpincho in Spanish, is the largest living rodent in the world. Its closest relatives are agouti, chinchillas, coyphillas, and guinea pigs...
and Californian Condors, and is famous for having had a giraffe
Giraffe
The giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all extant land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant...
with a crooked neck. It first opened in August, 1963.
Exhibits
Cats of Africa, which features African lions and black-footed catBlack-footed Cat
The black-footed cat is the smallest African cat, and is endemic in the south west arid zone of the southern African subregion. It is one of the lesser studied African carnivores, and has been listed as Vulnerable by IUCN since 2002....
s, opened in 2003. Built on a hillside, the area's black-footed cat exhibit is at the top of the slope, with the lion exhibit on the slope itself. The lions are visible from a platform near the black-footed cat exhibit.
The Forest's Edge houses two male western lowland gorilla
Western Lowland Gorilla
The western lowland gorilla is a subspecies of the western gorilla that lives in montane, primary, and secondary forests and lowland swamps in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. It is the gorilla usually found in zoos...
s. The exhibit opened in 1996 and has a glass-walled viewing area as well as an overlook from a replica ranger station.
California Trails exhibits California condor
California Condor
The California Condor is a New World vulture, the largest North American land bird. Currently, this condor inhabits only the Grand Canyon area, Zion National Park, and coastal mountains of central and southern California and northern Baja California...
s, Channel Island fox, desert tortoise
Desert Tortoise
The desert tortoise is a species of tortoise native to the Mojave desert and Sonoran desert of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. They can be located in western Arizona, southeastern California, southern Nevada, and southwestern Utah. The species name agassizii is in honor of...
s and bald eagle
Bald Eagle
The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle...
s. The condor aviary can be viewed from two sides, including on an elevated path lower on the hillside, past the bald eagles, and leading to The Forest's Edge.
Exhibiting animals from the savanna, African Veldt has Baringo giraffe
Rothschild giraffe
The Rothschild Giraffe is among the most endangered giraffe subspecies with only a few hundred members in the wild. It is named after the famous family of the Tring Museum's founder, Lord Walter Rothschild, and is also known as the Baringo Giraffe, after the Lake Baringo area of Kenya, or as the...
s, East African crowned cranes, and Sulcata tortoises in a multi-species enclosure as well as slender-tailed meerkats
Meerkat
The meerkat or suricate, Suricata suricatta, is a small mammal belonging to the mongoose family. Meerkats live in all parts of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana, in much of the Namib Desert in Namibia and southwestern Angola, and in South Africa. A group of meerkats is called a "mob", "gang" or "clan"...
in a smaller exhibit.
The Crawford Family Penguin House opened in June 2006. It houses a colony of Humboldt penguin
Humboldt Penguin
The Humboldt Penguin is a South American penguin, that breeds in coastal Peru and Chile. Its nearest relatives are the African Penguin, the Magellanic Penguin and the Galápagos Penguin...
s and has above- and under-water viewing. In the rest of the exhibit area are Inca tern
Inca Tern
The Inca Tern is a seabird in the family Sternidae. It is the only member of the genus Larosterna.This uniquely-plumaged bird breeds on the coasts of Peru and Chile, and is restricted to the Humboldt current...
s and other coastal South American birds.
Elephant Walk opened in 1972 and houses Asian elephant
Asian Elephant
The Asian or Asiatic elephant is the only living species of the genus Elephas and distributed in Southeast Asia from India in the west to Borneo in the east. Three subspecies are recognized — Elephas maximus maximus from Sri Lanka, the Indian elephant or E. m. indicus from mainland Asia, and E. m....
s. The exhibit was renovated in 2005, enlarging both the land area and pool size, and an area for Asian pond turtles was added nearby.
- Amazon tree boaAmazon tree boaCorallus hortulanus is a non-venomous boa species found in South America. No subspecies are currently recognized.-Description: Adults grow to an average of 5 and 6.5 feet in length. This species exhibits an immense variety of colors and patterns. The basic color can be anywhere from black, brown,...
- American alligatorAmerican AlligatorThe American alligator , sometimes referred to colloquially as a gator, is a reptile endemic only to the Southeastern United States. It is one of the two living species of alligator, in the genus Alligator, within the family Alligatoridae...
- Chinese alligatorChinese AlligatorThe Chinese alligator or Alligator Alligator sinensis) is one of two known living species of Alligator, a genus in the family Alligatoridae. The Chinese alligator is native only to China...
- Desert rosy boaRosy boaThe Rosy Boa is a snake of the Boidae family, one of only two members of that family native to the United States. The other is the Rubber Boa...
The "Crooked-necked Giraffe"
GeminaGemina (giraffe)
Gemina was a 12-foot-tall Baringo giraffe who lived in the Santa Barbara Zoo in Santa Barbara, California. She became notable for the peculiar deformity in her neck, which was bent by almost ninety degrees between her C3 and C4 vertebrae...
, (July 16, 1986 – January 9, 2008) the "crooked-necked giraffe," was one of the most popular animals at the Santa Barbara Zoo. A Baringo giraffe
Rothschild giraffe
The Rothschild Giraffe is among the most endangered giraffe subspecies with only a few hundred members in the wild. It is named after the famous family of the Tring Museum's founder, Lord Walter Rothschild, and is also known as the Baringo Giraffe, after the Lake Baringo area of Kenya, or as the...
, she was born with a straight neck at the San Diego Wild Animal Park
San Diego Wild Animal Park
The San Diego Zoo Safari Park, formerly known as the San Diego Wild Animal Park, is a zoo in the San Pasqual Valley area of San Diego, California, near Escondido. It is one of the largest tourist attractions in San Diego County. The Park houses a large array of wild and endangered animals including...
. At the age of three she developed a bend in her neck. The zoo's veterinarian said that despite her deformity, “Gemina led a very typical existence and was treated as a normal member of the herd. She did not appear to be in discomfort and exhibited normal giraffe behaviors.”
Gemina was euthanized
Euthanasia
Euthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering....
at the age of 21 years. "Consistent with the challenges of old age," she had lost her appetite and experienced a decline in quality of life. It is believed that her deformity was not a cause of the condition that led to the decision to euthanize her.
In media
Gemina was featured in an episode of the television program Miracle WorkersMiracle Workers
Miracle Workers is the name of a reality television show on ABC. It premiered on March 6, 2006....
, in which she was credited with inspiring a child with scoliosis
Scoliosis
Scoliosis is a medical condition in which a person's spine is curved from side to side. Although it is a complex three-dimensional deformity, on an X-ray, viewed from the rear, the spine of an individual with scoliosis may look more like an "S" or a "C" than a straight line...
.
The Santa Barbara Zoo was featured in an episode of Behind the Bash
Behind the Bash
Behind the Bash is a show hosted by Giada De Laurentiis that aired on Food Network. The show focuses on what it takes to create the "over-the-top, high-rolling parties from glitzy Las Vegas to New York City." The show was produced by Atlas Media Corp.- External links :*...
in March 2006, when Giada de Laurentiis
Giada De Laurentiis
Giada Pamela De Laurentiis is an Italian American chef, writer, television personality, and the host of the current Food Network program Giada at Home. She also appears regularly as a contributor and guest co-host on NBC's Today...
visited a catered wedding taking place at the zoo.
Gemina was mentioned in the show Alias (TV series)
Alias (TV series)
Alias is an American action television series created by J. J. Abrams which was broadcast on ABC for five seasons, from September 30, 2001 to May 22, 2006...
: Sydney (Jennifer Garner
Jennifer Garner
Jennifer Anne Affleck , better known as Jennifer Garner, is an American actress and film producer. Garner gained recognition on television for her performance as CIA agent Sydney Bristow in the thriller drama series Alias, which aired on ABC for five seasons from 2001 to 2006...
) says "Yeah, I love it [Santa Barbara]. The zoo, that giraffe with the crooked neck." In another episode, Vaughn (Michael Vartan) says, "We went to Santa Barbara...and she [Sydney] wouldn't stop talking about the Zoo...I had this great evening planned, and I...ended up proposing on one knee in sawdust in front of a giraffe with a crooked neck."