The history of the San Diego Zoo began with the Panama-California International Exposition in San Diego's Balboa Park. Many foreign animals were eagerly brought to San Diego for the Exposition and put on display at the Park. On September 16, 1916, Dr. Harry Wegeforth was driving down Sixth Ave. returning to his office, when he heard the roar of the lions. He told his brother Paul, "Wouldn't it be splendid if San Diego had a zoo! You know...I think I'll start one." (1) And that is where the great idea for a zoo in San Diego began. The picture at right shows Dr. Wegeforth as a U. S. Army captain in World War I, but the war ended before he could be sent overseas, and he returned to San Diego.
Wegeforth had a dazzling passion for animals. He believed animals were just as important as people and there his quest began. That same evening, Wegeforth went to the San Diego Union and talked to the city editor, Clarence McGrew. The next morning a prominently placed article was featured explaining how Dr. Wegeforth could start a zoological society for San Diego. In the article he continued to explain the zoo was to be maintained out of the funds that the society would raise through dues and subscriptions. The animals left from the exposition were to be the base for the project and the cost of maintaining them was not very large. The public response to his article was instantaneous and gratifying. Wegeforth received calls from many people eager to help his cause and give assistance where the could. Some of the early animals were cast-off pets from Navy ships, such as the picture at left of the bear "Lady" from the U.S.S. Jason in 1922. It appeared the zoo was looking like a reality instead of a childhood fantasy.
Now that fantasy was becoming reality, it needed a Board of Directors. The three men chosen for the job were, Dr. Harry Wegeforth, his brother Paul, and Mr. Frank Stephens of the Natural History Society. Shortly after, two more directors were added to the board, Dr. Fred Baker and Dr. Joseph Thompson. The first official meeting of the Board of Directors of the San Diego Zoological Society was set for October 2, 1916 at the home of Dr. Baker. To make it as official as possible, the rules followed by the New York Zoological Society were used as a model for the meeting. On November 24, the Zoo's Board of Directors submitted their articles for incorporation to the Board of Park Commissioners. Mayor Capps and George Marston signed the papers making the San Diego Zoological Society an official organization.
Now that Wegeforth had approval for the zoo, he had to find a place to put it. At first, they had many small Zoo's popping up in locations along Park Blvd., 6th Street, and near the Laurel Street Bridge. The Board of Park Commissioners granted the Zoo Board supervision over most of the animals and thanks to the support of the local newspapers, more animals were coming.
Many people liked the idea of the San Diego Zoo and gave donations to its cause. One of the first donations made to the Zoo was a female bear named Caesar. The bear was a pet on a Navy ship and possessed a great charge easily set off by the sailor boys. None of the members on the Zoo Board knew anything about moving bears making this a difficult task. So they did they only thing they could think of. Dr. Thompson put a collar and chain around Caesars neck and put her in the front seat of his car. Amazed by what they were seeing, the citizens of San Diego thoroughly enjoyed watching the scene unfold.
Caesar was then taken to the Zoo, a few cages down from the Exposition, and put in her cage. But now, problems were beginning. Caesar was growing to big for her cage and began to show her dismay by tearing it apart. She was put in other encloses and she would destroy them too. It was now evident that the Zoo's Board of Directors could no longer postpone the construction of a new grotto.
The time had come for the grotto to be built and many San Diegans were excited. They wanted to see the Zoo animals in surroundings that resembled their native habitat and were willing to pay for it. Approximately $2200 in donations were raised for the completion of the grotto. San Diego was ready for its Zoo.
Now that the funds were available, contractors were hired to build the new structures. After they were complete and feeling quite successful, Wegeforth decided to take one more look at the grottoes on his way into work. Alarmed by what he saw is such an understatement to what he must have been feeling. Caesar the bear had bent iron, ripped apart walls, and dug a tunnel that led into the polar bear grotto. Having concrete floors was no longer an option, but a necessity. Miss Ellen Scripps gave the first substantial donation for this cause and plans began for new designs. Caesar became forever known as "Goliath of the Zoo".
In 1917 the Junior San Diego Zoological Society was conceived by W.H. Porterfield of the San Diego Sun. Its purpose was to build a relationship with the children of San Diego by incorporating experiences to enrich their lives.
The Junior San Diego Zoological Society quickly became a principal concern. Thompson felt the Zoo needed to incorporate more educational ideas with its programs, so it was decided that lectures would be held in front of the animal cages. The lectures were a great success and the Zoo expanded into nature walks and later other natural history subjects. The youth of San Diego was intrigued by the Zoo and all that it could teach. The Board was very satisfied with the results of the Junior Society and knew it was the beginning of another road to success.
After the Exposition closed, housing for the Zoo staff became a problem. The Standard Oil Building was built as an Exposition exhibit. The building was supposed to be torn down after the Exposition, but with a lot of persuasion from Wegeforth, it was donated to the Park Department for the Zoological Society to use. Wegeforth refers to this moment as his "maiden exploit in securing sizable donations" (2).
At last in August 1921 the final location of the Zoo was approved by the Park Commission. The Zoo presented a landscape map along with plans of exact boundaries for the Zoo. It consisted of 150 acres of land in Balboa Park that included canyons, mesas and areas perfect for cages, dens, and corrals. In early 1922, the San Diego Zoo began to move into its new quarters.
Elephants soon became part of the animal collection. In 1923, Empress and Queenie, were brought from India by Frank Buck. The elephants were transported from San Francisco to San Diego. Empress and Queenie did not like train travel. They kicked and thrashed around so much that they had to be unloaded. Chains had been put on their legs to restrict their movement and Zoo superintendents tried to push and pull the elephants, but they weren't moving anywhere. Wegeforth had an idea about the elephants; he thought they were probably used to being ridden, so he jumped on the back of Empress and found that by kicking her on the side of her head he could make her move in whatever direction he wanted. The elephants were then ridden to San Diego, definitely causing drivers to hit the brakes on the way. When returning to San Diego, many citizens and members of the Zoological Society gathered at the Zoo to welcome the elephants to their new home. The picture at left shows Dr. Wegeforth riding the zoo's first elephant.
Wegeforth's next problem was paying back the loan on the elephants. Stopping by to see Mr. Spreckles, he asked him why he didn't help the Zoo with the elephants. Mr. Spreckles response was "I will, providing you can get whiter elephants than some I have now." (3) Wegeforth knew that this was really a joke, yet he accepted it as a challenge. Determined to find a way, he went out the next day and bought a keg of white powder and four of the biggest powder puffs he could find. When Wegeforth got Mr. Spreckles to the Zoo, Mr. Spreckles laughed at the fantastic picture of the elephants and told Wegeforth they had a deal. Mr. Spreckles wrote a check for $7,500 and became a loyal follower of the Zoo. Sometime later, Spreckles asked Wegeforth to help stage a little political act for his friend, Republican George Burnham. The children of San Diego renamed the elephants "Joy" and "Happy" and Burnham, a U.S. Senator running for office again, was going to rechristened them (4). He had his picture taken next to the elephants representing his political party and they were distributed all over California. The picture at right shows Burnham (left) and Spreckels (center) and Wegeforth (right) at the elephant dedication ceremony.
In 1926 the use of buses for touring the Zoo grounds became extremely popular. The image at left is one of the first buses used to tour the grounds of the zoo. The bus drivers at night would study about the animals and give lectures and teach classes in the days. Buses were also used to transport underprivileged children to the Zoo. The buses for many children was their only opportunity to experience the Zoo and enjoy the animals.
The San Diego Zoological Society first began to publish the magazine Zoonooz in early 1925. This was a publication put out to inform Zoo members what was happening with the Zoo. It was a free magazine for all Zoological Society Member, but sold for a price of 10 cents a copy for all non-members. The Zoonooz magazine was delightfully accepted by Zoo members as well as other citizens of San Diego.
As quickly as the San Diego Zoo grew, attendance took a sharp drop at the outbreak of World War II. Like many other organizations, the Zoo suffered attendance losses from the war. But between 1949 and early 1951 the Zoo was booming again reaching an attendance of over two-million visitors (5). The popularity of the Zoo with children of San Diego was always externalized. When asked "What is the most important thing in your life?" many children would reply, "the elephants" (6).
In 1975 the San Diego Zoo developed a branch of its organization called CRES-the Center for Reproduction of Endangered Species. CRES is a staffed by a group of researchers, scientist, and veterinarians who work directly with the Zoo developing research projects for animals that have the hazardous fate of becoming extinct. The current project for CRES has been Shi Shi and Bai Yin, a pair of giant pandas from the People's Republic of China. The pandas are here on a 12 years loan that is part of an ongoing global conservation program. The current project includes understanding panda reproduction, genetics, ways to survey wild panda population, and physiological and behavioral responses related to the pandas scent marks. Bill Fox, president of the Zoological Board of Trustees said, "we are taking a giant step toward unraveling some of the biological mysteries of giant panda behavior and reproduction...the giant pandas will enhance the research efforts that are already underway here and in China."(7) CRES endocrinologist Nancy Czekala has been working with professors from Beijing University to compare scent mark characteristics and hormone levels in captive and wild pandas. The actual number of pandas left in the wild is estimated at less than 1,000. The San Diego Zoo also has its "frozen zoo", were the ovaries and sperm of many endangered animals are frozen so that they might be used in the future. The panda is seen as a flagship species of conservation, but other animals in the same predicament receive similar treatments. In addition to this 12-year loan, the San Diego Zoo is contributing $1 million each year to China's National Conservation Plan for the Giant Panda and its Habitat.
The San Diego Zoological Society continues to grow and their mission is still inspired by strength and tenacity of the original founders. Facing new obstacles everyday, the goals of the Zoo remain the same. The development of the Zoo began as a fantasy and despite all of its difficulty it revered successfully. The ultimate dream can become a reality if you commit yourself to hard work, perseverance, and all the ambition within your heart to know you can achieve anything.