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San Diego Zoo stories

Por Dani Dodge

A kangaroo’s fur is soft. Softer than a pillow. And fluffy, like the down on a baby duck.

The skin of a rhinoceros is rough, but not sandpaper scratchy. Rough like dried earth, except inside the folds, where it is tender as a baby’s neck.

A hedgehog’s quills are hard like long, round, pointy fingernails. But its tiny face is sweet and inquisitive.

How do I know this? San Diego Zoo’s new Backstage Pass program allowed me to touch those animals and more. I also posed for pictures with an emu and scratched a rhino’s back with a broom. (He loved it!) Backstage Pass, a two-hour experience, allows guests to get up close — touchingly close –- to their wild side.

No two shows will be the same. The animals rotate. Occasionally one star won’t be in the mood to go onstage, but in the spirit of “the show must go on,” an understudy takes its place.

Backstage Pass became possible when the San Diego Zoo’s elephants –- Tembo, Sumithi and Devi –- moved to the Zoo’s new 7.5–acre Elephant Odyssey a few months ago. Once the elephants got comfortable in their new home, Elephant Mesa began its transformation into Urban Jungle.

This transformation included moving the zoo’s rhino brothers, Soman and Surat, from the perimeter of Elephant Mesa onto center stage. It also included developing a secluded patio for dining and shows, and recruiting the crew, both animal and human, from the Wild Ones show formerly at Hunte Amphitheater.

On a recent Tuesday when I took the tour, the experience began with educator Rachelle Marcon bringing out Sonic, a softball-sized hedgehog. Rachelle took the tiny creature to each guest to allow them to touch those fierce quills.

Soon afterward we were treated to the antics of Amara, a four-month-old cheetah, as well as her puppy companion, Hopper. Just like any kitten, the adorable spotted cat chased a toy on a string. Although this wasn’t an animal the guests could touch, the stage at Backstage Pass is only a few feet from the audience. I took some amazing photos.

But that was only the beginning of the adventure. We took a short walk to a behind-the-scenes spot to meet a male and a female kangaroo, Tangari and Jirra, and male emu named Daphne. (A boy named Daphne? You’ll have to go Backstage to hear that story!)

Upon returning to the Backstage Pass area, it was my chance to meet Soman and his younger brother Surat. First I got to feed Surat -– watching his elongated, prehensile lip reaching out for an apple slice. Then came the chance to scratch Soman’s back with a big push broom and feel the inner folds of the skin on his back.

Lunch -– sandwich choices include roast beef, chicken pesto and a vegetarian roasted red bell pepper -– was set up when we returned to the patio (and after washing up). Beverages included soft drinks, wine and beer.

While we ate, the show continued. Trainers brought out exotic animals such as a binturong, a southern ground hornbill and African servals, and then a big, magnificent cheetah named Karoo. The animals aren’t the same every show, but the fun is.

At the table next to mine, Allan Villeneuve, a San Diego chef, and his wife, Bonnie Upthegrove, a nurse, enjoyed Backstage Pass for the second time. The Zoo members especially liked being able to feel the hide, feather and fur of the amazing animals. “It’s always ‘don’t reach out, don’t touch’,” said Bonnie. “But, here, when the trainer says ‘it’s OK,’ you can touch!”

Dani Dodge is a former newspaper reporter and editor now working at the San Diego Zoo. She can be reached at [email protected].

Backstage Pass participants must be at least 8 years old. The show can be booked online at www.sandiegozoo.org or by calling (619) 231-1515. The cost is $100 per person, in addition to zoo admission.