It can be a little challenging to find reality TV to group watch that appeals to everyone in the family. Do you need a good sized injection of the feel goods for your crew? Watch The Zoo: San Diego.
Seriously – have you ever seen anything as adorable as a Klipspringer calf? No, indeed you haven’t (pictured above).
San Diego Zoo is one massive operation. The San Diego Zoo and San Diego Safari Park together house well over six thousand animals and are open every day of the year. The third wing of San Diego Zoo (Global) is the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research, which focuses on the preservation of all animal and plant species. This includes scientific research into the fields of reproduction, disease investigation and biodiversity banking , which are only a few of the programs and initiatives managed by the very engaging and enthusiastic scientists of San Diego Zoo.
It’s easy to see within the first episode why San Diego Zoo is considered one of the world’s best zoos. There is so much going on and what the public sees is of course only a small slice of all the important work being done by staff and volunteers lucky enough to take part.
Filmed as a behind the scenes style documentary, The Zoo: San Diego alternates segments that follow the real stars of the show, the animals in the zoo’s care. They may be injured, breeding, or part of a study so the balance between the gratuitous cute and fluffy animal stories (boy, did we mention that Klipspringer?) and the conservation updates makes for both educational and entertaining viewing.
If you’re a bit of a jaded viewer with what the TV world currently has to offer, watching The Zoo: San Diego will refresh your outlook. It is hard not to be inspired by all of the carers, doctors and technicians who are so positive about the changes they can make, and that the global community can make, to the future of all of the world’s animals in our care.
As a footnote to what the San Diego Zoo is up to, happy to say that AUD$500,000 was recently raised for the ongoing rescue and rehabilitation of wildlife affected by the 2019/2020 Australian bushfires. Thank you to everyone at San Diego Zoo from Australia.
The Zoo: San Diego is an ten part Animal Planet series, screening now on FOXTEL Demand. Grab the kids and watch together as you will all be enchanted by fluffy baby aninmals, snakes, condors and zookeepers alike.
Andy Thompson
Other reviews you might enjoy:
- Home Before Dark S1 (Apple TV+) – streaming review
- Raised by Wolves (FOXTEL on Demand) – streaming review
- Belgravia (FOXTEL on Demand) – streaming review
Andy is a Perth based reviewer who has been moderating online book clubs and working with not-for-profits roughly a bazillion years. Andy contributes to The Blurb on books, streaming TV, movies and various other shiny things she picks up. She is also a bit obsessed with podcasts.