"Someone told me..."
A
cache
by chaosmanor
Hidden:
3/1/2003
Size:
 (Not chosen)
Difficulty: 
Terrain: 
(1 is easiest, 5 is hardest)
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"... it’s all happening at the Zoo. I do believe it; I do believe
it’s true…"
IMPORTANT NOTES: The
Santa Barbara Zoo underwent some major renovations in 2004,
including updating and expansion of some exhibits, and the
construction of an Asian Cats exhibit; we changed some of the
questions to reflect the changes. In 2008 and 2009, more changes
are being made, including a new Condor exhibit. As a result, the
Channel Islands Foxes will not be on display until the new work is
completed. But the new stuff should be very nice, and it will make
for a better zoo. Thanks to The Other Topa Sisters for the update!!
One of the joys of being
a grandparent is that we can choose when, and when not, to visit
with the grandkids. And we can spoil them like we couldn’t risk
spoiling our own kids. Finally, we can drop-kick them back to Mom
and Dad when the visit is over
We spent today in Santa
Barbara with our youngest grandson, Larez. We went to the Zoo and
Stearns Wharf; we found a geocache: it was a really fine day. In
honor of this, we decided to put together a virtual tour of the
Zoo, which has been making great efforts to upgrade its exhibits
and its image. For a small zoo tucked away as it is, this is a
pretty good one, and the smallness makes it very easy to see just
about everything in a day, without having to
hurry.
Below are two sets of
questions: three lettered ones and sixteen numbered
ones. The answers for all these questions can be found within the
grounds of the Santa Barbara Zoological Gardens. The first numbered
question is about something right outside the Ticket Office and
Main Gate; all the rest are within the compound. To claim a “find”
for this, you must e-mail us the answer for question #1, and for
any ten (or more, if you wish) of questions #2 through #16; please
do not post them in your log entry! Naturally, we want the answers
as posted on signs and plaques at the zoo. Some of these will be
easy; some will not. Some can be found outside the zoo (but can you
trust them to agree with the zoo’s answer?); some cannot. Also,
please post your answers for the lettered questions in your
log entry here, as they have no right or wrong answers. The
co-ordinates given are for a spot somewhere in the parking area. In
actual fact, you don’t really need your GPS at all for this
geocache. Some virtual tours of large sites (e.g., the one in
Knott’s Berry Farm) have the co-ordinates for every question; in
those, you are required to answer every question to claim a “find”.
Because signs and exhibits have a way of changing in a place like
this, we don’t ask you to submit every answer, as things will
change over time. Thus, we decided that co-ordinates for every
question weren’t needed, and might actually get in the way. The
real goal here is to spend a leisurely day with your family
visiting the animals; or vice-versa.
If you don’t find a particular
answer, well, there are lots of other opportunities. We don’t
expect that you will find any missionary antelopes, the
giraffes seem sincere enough and there are no hamsters of any
sort, turned on or otherwise, but the animals will almost
certainly love it if you do come to visit.
The
Questions
- Did you see any of the Channel Island Foxes? Sometimes they are
easier to see from the walkway along the playground.
- Don't you think it would be nice if the gift shop near the
entrance stayed open an extra half-hour? If you are there until
closing, you can't buy any souvenirs on your way out
- Did you ride the train? If so, did you enjoy the ride?
Remember: please post the answers to the above questions in your
log. Send the answers to the questions below to us through our
profile link.
- Just outside the Ticket Office is a bench, with three animals
carved on it. What is the full name of the company mentioned on the
plaque, and what is the date?
- What is the approximate top speed of Scarlet Macaws? These
gorgeous birds were moved; they were near the main
restaurant, but are now near the anteaters.
- About how many Chinese Alligators are left in the wild?
- True or False? The Black-footed Cat (the photo in the middle of
the sign is hilarious, especially if you are owned by a house cat)
never drinks water.
- For about how long do Ring-tailed Lemurs live?
- If you love creepy-crawlies, you'll have no trouble entering
the "Ewww!" exhibit and telling us which spider is the largest in
the world
- What is the full, repetitious, scientific name for the Western
Lowlands Gorilla?
- Meerkats live in groups of up to how many members?
- What are the names of the two Asian Small-clawed Otters?
- Dandylion lived from which year to which year? For some reason,
they did not move this sign over to the Asian Cats
area.
- There is a bench in the Palm Garden Picnic Area that has an
anteater carved on it. Who is the person (he was a zookeeper here)
mentioned on the plaque on this bench, and what were his birth and
death years?
- Speaking of anteaters, how many ants can a Giant Anteater eat,
if an anteater eats all the ants it can eat in a day?
- There is a “special” giraffe in this zoo. What is her name and
what is so special about her?
- In the wild, approximately how much vegetation does an Asian
Elephant eat? Give the answer in pounds. The signs for this are a
bit out-of-the-way, but it'll make sense once you find them.
- The capybara is the largest of what order of mammals?
- What organization is the main sponsor of the Wings of Asia? The
plaque is right near the exhibit entrance. Plan to spend a little
time inside; it's very peaceful
We hope you enjoyed your day at the Zoo
 Come again soon! And if you have
some time left in your day, consider a stroll along Cabrillo
Blvd. to the Bird Refuge behind the zoo, or along the beach to
Stearns Wharf.
Additional Hints (
Decrypt
)
Decryption Key
A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z
(letter above equals below,
and vice versa)
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[This is just some general info on the zoo.] Mbb ubhef ner pheeragyl sebz 10 nz gb 5 cz rirel qnl; vg vf pybfrq ba Puevfgznf naq Gunaxftvivat. Anghenyyl, guvf pbhyq punatr. Gurl unir n avpr jrofvgr - fnagnoneonenmbb.bet - gung vf hcqngrq bsgra, naq juvpu unf pheerag cevprf, fcrpvny riragf, rgp.
(Decrypted Hints)
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Logged Visits (
51 total. Visit the Gallery (12 images)
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 49 |  2 |
Warning.
Spoilers may be included in the descriptions or links.
Cache find counts are based on the last time the page generated.
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August 15 by djmlp4 (421 found)
The Family enjoyed the Santa Barbara Zoo and hunting down all the answers. Answers to the 16 questions have been emailed.
1. We went to see the Channel Island Fox exhibit on the back walkway, but were unable to see any of the foxes.
2. We didn't stay until the Zoo closed, but if we did it would be nice if it was opened longer.
3. We road the train at the very end and it was nice to sit back and enjoy the ride.TFTC!
[view this log] | July 17 by BLAA (974 found)
What fun! This one was attacked by about half a dozen teenagers scouring the zoo for answers - we have 14 which will be on the way in a minute.As to the general questions ... We did not see the foxes
We didn't care that the shop was not opened later as we left pretty early in the day
...and we went through the zoo VERY thoroughly, but we did not take the train. Thanks again - the zoo was fun ... but the cache added a lot to our visit!!
[view this log] | June 7 by Fishie Pie (23 found)
I love the zoo, and have been a member for a couple of years now. Great new animal exhibits and even new eating areas. The CA condors are definitely a sight! We did see the channel island foxes (yes they are back after the recent renovations done) and they were so cute hidden in the tall grasses. Didn't make it on the train ride though, maybe next time! And I think the the gift shop might be able to make a bit more if they did stay open longer. All in all, a great day! TFTC!! I hope everyone enjoys the animals as much as we did.
[view this log] | April 25 by GreatNate008 (281 found)
We were lucky enough to see one Channel Island Fox. He was cute. It would be nice for the gift shop to be open a little later after the park officially closes. I think they would make more money also. Didn’t get a chance to ride the train. We will wait until next time when the new addition to our family arrives. Thanks for the great day at the zoo!!
[view this log] | February 14 by Kimo & Zerene (156 found)
Lovely day at the Zoo between major rain storms. Chilig and I spent about 3 hours enjoying the sights and the sounds of children having a wonderful time. Romance was in the air. It was Valentine's Day after all. I was approached by two nice young couples to take their photos standing together. One couple by the Asian Elephants and the other by the Scarlet Macaws. One of the Macaws puts on quite a show with its "trick" of dangling from the top of a vertical branch by its beak only. No Channel Island Foxes, as they are off exhibit due to construction of the new section. Not sure when the gift shops close, but they were still open when we left and the entry gates were closed to new comers. But yes, they should stay open till actual closing time for the whole zoo. We did ride the train...it was quite a chilly ride, but all aboard seemed to enjoy it very much. We did too. Zerene
[view this log]
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Current time: 11/22/2009 4:39:54 AM
Last Updated: 8/16/2009 7:03:17 AM
Rendered: From Database
Coordinates are in the WGS84 datum
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