Wine & Lecture: 'The Zoo Lady' How Belle Benchley Built The San Diego Zoo

The Coronado Historical Association invites you to join us for this month’s installment of the popular Wine & Lecture Series on Thursday, December 10, featuring “The Zoo Lady: How Belle Benchley Built The San Diego Zoo.” Enjoy an engaging evening and discover how a divorced, middle-aged mother became the world’s first female zoo director, saving the San Diego Zoo. In this fully illustrated, highly interactive presentation, award-winning historian Dr. Sandra E. Bonura uses rare archival images to uncover Belle Benchley's steel-willed legacy. Attendees are invited to participate, share their own personal zoo memories, and join the conversation to bring "The Zoo Lady" back into the spotlight.

Join us on Thursday, December 10, at 5:30 p.m. for a wine & cheese reception followed by the lecture from 6 to 7 p.m.

Tickets are available now by clicking Register Now above!

Member: $20 each

Non-Member: $30 each

Important Registration Information: Reservations are required. Please be aware that tickets for the wine & lecture events are nonrefundable, as proceeds support our educational mission. If you have any questions, please email info@coronadohistory.org or call (619) 435-7242.

Dr. Sandra E. Bonura is an award-winning historian, author, and educator dedicated to rescuing forgotten historical figures from obscurity. Renowned for her deep archival research and vivid storytelling, she specializes in revealing the untold impacts of trailblazing women and hidden historical narratives. Her latest book, "The Zoo Lady," brings Belle Benchley's incredible, barrier-breaking legacy back to the forefront of conservation history.

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