Folks Can Make a Habitat of Visiting This Animal Kingdom

The Santa Ana Zoo has been around for almost 40 years, but many longtime Orange County residents have never been there.

They don’t know what they’ve been missing.

The 19-acre zoo, tucked away in Prentice Park, is far less intimidating than the larger San Diego and Los Angeles zoos. Because of its size, visitors can stroll through the whole thing in a couple of hours. Even on the weekends, when the zoo is the most crowded, it’s easy to get through the shady grounds with little hassle.

The zoo is a cheap and educational way to spend the day with the kids and a nice place for an afternoon date. It’s also a good place to work on your photography. Film ($6 to $7) and disposable cameras ($11) are sold at the zoo entrance.

The zoo is only half developed, and city officials want to eventually transform it into a major attraction displaying cougars, golden eagles and other local wildlife in a simulated natural setting.

But even in its present state, the zoo has an array of animals to see. You can also ride an Indian elephant (weekends from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.) for $2.

11 to 11:20: Start with a visit to the zoo’s barnyard, which is near the entrance. Black goats, pigs and large sheep roam this small area that features several brightly painted red barns. If you want to give some of the animals a snack, there is a large dispenser of sheep food that costs 25 cents a handful.

11:20 to 11:40: Head over to Amazon’s Edge, which was unveiled with much fanfare in September. This area, highlighted by a scenic waterfall, offers some real Kodak moments, so have your camera ready and plenty of film on hand. From a large wooden deck you can watch beautiful black-necked swans glide across the water as black-capped capuchin monkeys swing from trees. The highlight of the exhibit: the noisy black howler monkeys from Brazil.

11:40 to 12:45: Spend the next hour taking in the rest of the exhibits, which are in a row of cages. It’s impossible not to spend the most time at the various monkey exhibits, for which the zoo is most famous. Perhaps the most lively monkeys there are the tiny red-handed tamarins, which dart around the cage, swinging from ropes to branches with boundless energy. They alone are worth the price of admission.

As you stroll down the walkway, you’ll see about a dozen other exhibits, many of them containing other monkey species or exotic birds. Some of the highlights: two bald eagles that are regally perched on a log, practically begging to be photographed, and a mountain lion that roams calmly around his cage.

Among the fascinating animals on display: an alpaca, a large-eyed animal that looks like a combination sheep and horse; the Rhea, a South African bird that looks like an ostrich; and a Patagonian cary, which has long ears and long eyelashes and looks something like a rabbit and eats rabbit food, but is a rodent.

12:45 to 1: Before leaving the zoo, swing by the gift shop, which is near the exit. Most of the items for sale here make great gifts for kids. “Grandma and Grandpa tend to spend a lot when they come in here,” said zoo volunteer Ann Boulter. There is an extensive collection of stuffed animals, including tigers, elephants and bears (ranging from $5.95 to $30) and several shelves of books about zoo animals. If you’re looking for something for yourself, there are zoo postcards (75 cents) and wildlife greeting cards ($1.25).

1 to 2: A few hours of walking through the zoo can build up your appetite, and there is a snack bar on the premises that offers hot dogs, hamburgers and animal-shaped french fries for a reasonable price. Or you can bring your own picnic lunch and eat outside the zoo in Prentice Park.

But I suggest getting back in your car and driving down a few blocks to Happy Days Char-Broiled Hamburgers, which just opened last summer. You won’t find Richie Cunningham or the Fonz hanging out in this ‘50s-style diner, but you will find plenty of good food at bargain prices. There’s a cheeseburger combo, for $3.25, that comes with a mountain of crisp french fries that are more than enough for two people. The special also includes unlimited refills of soft drinks. Burgers and sandwiches range from $1.79 to $3.59. Burritos and tacos range from 99 cents to $3.39.