Santa Barbara Zoo

Opened in 1963 on 30 acres in Santa Barbara, the Santa Barbara Zoo is dedicated to the preservation, conservation, and enhancement of the natural world and its living treasures through education, research, and recreation. The zoo's most popular residents include penguins, elephants, anteaters, gorillas, a pair of rare snow leopards, and a flock of native California condors. 

The Santa Barbara Zoo is committed to learning, offering camps, sleepovers, field trips, an experiential research programs, an afterschool enrichment program, a volunteer program, and a conservation club for students as well as a zoo curriculum for teachers. There are also opportunities to meet the animals for 30-minute educational experiences and Q&A sessions with zoo staff. In addition, the zoo participates in the Species Survival Plan, which is a cooperative conservation program that aims to maintain genetic diversity and helps to guard endangered species against extinction.