A safari park, sometimes known as a wildlife park, is a zoo-like commercial drive-in tourist attraction where visitors can drive their own vehicles or ride in vehicles provided by the facility to observe freely roaming animals.
A safari park is larger than a zoo and smaller than a game reserve. For example, African Lion Safari in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada is . For comparison, Lake Nakuru in the Great Rift Valley, Kenya, is , and a typical large game reserve is Tsavo East, also in Kenya, which encompasses .
Many parks have conservation programmes with endangered animals like: , white rhinos, , , , and wild dogs.
General overview of a safari park
The main attractions are frequently large animals from
Africa which people can see in wildlife reserves such as:
,
(including
), white rhinos, African bush elephants,
,
,
,
lesser flamingo and
,
,
guineafowl,
, sometimes
, great white and pink-backed pelicans, African sacred ibises, Ankole cattle,
,
,
,
,
, African wild dogs,
Barbary sheep,
Balearica,
Egyptian geese, saddle-billed, yellow-billed and
,
(in a side paddock),
, and many
antelope species including-
wildebeest,
hartebeest, topi,
,
Taurotragus,
lechwe,
,
, bongos,
,
,
,
springbok,
bontebok,
sitatunga,
,
,
, and
, just to name a few.
Also in the reserves there are animals that are not from Africa: species include: , Indian and Sumatran rhinoceroses, gaur, , , , banteng, markhor, , Asinus, sambar deer, Indian hog deer, , , (including ), Asian black bears, Eld's deer, , chital, , , , peafowl, and ; species include: American black bears, , wolf (including Arctic wolf), American bison, elk, and white-tailed deer; species include: , , , , , South American tapirs, rheas, and black-necked swans; species include , wallabies, , and ; species include: , Eurasian Wolf, , fallow deer, red deer, and moose.
Most safari parks have a "walk-around" area with animals too small or too dangerous to roam freely in the reserves, like: small birds, , , , , , , , , , , , , and . Some also have: Petting zoo, , and reptile and insect houses. Besides animals, in the walk-round area, there are public facilities like toilets, snack bars and cafés, play areas and sometimes amusement rides. There can be walk-through exhibits with animals like , lemurs and wallabies. The Knowsley Safari in England keeps and giraffes in their walking area.
Safari parks often have other associated tourist attractions: , carnival rides, Coffeehouse/, ridable miniature railways, boat trips to see aquatic animals like , life-sized recreations of and other prehistoric animals, plant , , , gondola lift and . These are commonly found in the walk-around area. On river safari areas, there may be islands with primates; Longleat keeps gorillas and black-and-white colobus on their islands, which are used to house chimpanzees and Siamang; African Lion Safari in Canada has black-and-white ruffed lemurs, ring-tailed lemurs, Lar gibbon, siamangs, Colombian spider monkeys, Geoffroy's spider monkeys, pink-backed pelicans and in the waters.
History and list of parks
The predecessor of safari parks is Africa U.S.A. Park (1953–1961) in Florida.
[Life, Vol.49, No.5, August 1, 1960, pp.1,30.]
The first lion drive-through opened in 1963 in Tama Zoological Park in Tokyo. In double-glazed buses, visitors made a tour through a one-hectare enclosure with twelve African lions.
The first drive-through safari park outside of Africa opened in 1966 at Longleat in Wiltshire, England.[ The lions and loins of Longleat The Sunday Times Retrieved February 18, 2011]
Between 1967 and 1974, Lion Country Safari, Inc. opened 6 animal parks, one near each of the following American cities: West Palm Beach, Florida; Los Angeles, California; Grand Prairie, Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; Cincinnati, Ohio, and Richmond, Virginia. The first park, in South Florida, is the only Lion Country Safari still in operation.
Royal Burgers' Zoo at Arnhem, opened a "safari park" in 1968 within a traditional zoo. In 1995, Burgers' Safari modified this to a walking safari with a boardwalk. Another safari park in the Netherlands is Safaripark Beekse Bergen.
Most safari parks were established in a short period of ten years, between 1966 and 1975.
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Africa
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Americas
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Brazil: São Paulo ( Zoo Safári, 2001 - this park was formerly known as Simba Safari from 1972 to 2001)
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Canada:
-
Ontario: Hamilton ( African Lion Safari, 1969)
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Quebec: Hemmingford ( Parc Safari, 1972), Montebello ( Parc Omega, 1985)
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Chile: Rancagua ( Safari Park Rancagua, 2009)
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Guatemala: Escuintla ( Auto Safari Chapin, 1980)
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Mexico:
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United States:
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Arizona: Camp Verde ( Out of Africa Wildlife Park, 1988)
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Arkansas: Gentry ( Wild Wilderness Drive-Through Safari, 1970)
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California: Escondido ( San Diego Zoo Safari Park, formerly San Diego Wild Animal Park, 1972)
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Florida: Loxahatchee ( Lion Country Safari, 1967)
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Georgia: Pine Mountain ( Wild Animal Safari, 1991), Madison, Georgia ( Georgia Safari Conservation Park, 2024)
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Louisiana: Delhi ( High Delta Safari Park, 2009)
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Maryland: Woodmore (Six Flags America, 1974)
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Nebraska: Ashland ( Lee G. Simmons Conservation Park and Wildlife Safari, 1998)
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New Jersey: Jackson Township ( Great Adventure, 1974, now Six Flags Great Adventure)
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New York: Chittenango ( Wild Animal Park, 2010)
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Ohio: Port Clinton ( African Safari Wildlife Park, 1973)
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Oregon: Winston ( Wildlife Safari, 1973)
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Texas: San Antonio ( Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch, 1984), Glen Rose ( Fossil Rim Wildlife Ranch, 1984), near Dallas ( Texas Zoosafari Park, 2023)
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Virginia: Natural Bridge ( Virginia Safari Park, 2000)
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Asia
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Bangladesh: Gazipur ( Gazipur Safari Park, 2013), Cox's Bazar ( Dulahazara Safari Park, 1999)
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China: Shenzhen ( Safari Park, 1993), Shanghai ( Wild Animal Park, 1995), Qinhuangdao ( Qinhuangdao Wildlife Park, 1995), Guangzhou ( Xiangjiang Safari Park, 1997), Jinan ( Safari Park, 1999), Badaling ( Safari World, 2001)
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India: Etawah ( Etawah Safari Park, formerly Lion Safari Etawah, 2019), Rajgir ( Rajgir Zoo Safari, 2022)
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Indonesia: Cisarua, Prigen and Bali (in Bali includes a Marine Park too) ( Taman Safari, 1990)
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Israel: Ramat Gan ( Ramat Gan Safari, 1974)
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Japan: Miyazaki ( Phoenix Zoo, 1975), Usa ( Kyushu Natural Animal Park African Safari, 1976), Mine ( Akiyoshidai Safari Land, 1977), Tomioka ( Gunma Safari Park, 1979), Susono ( Fuji Safari Park, 1980), Himeji ( Central Park, 1984)
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Malaysia: Alor Gajah ( A'Famosa Resort, 2001), Gambang ( Bukit Gambang Safari Park)
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Pakistan: Lahore ( Lahore Zoo Safari, 2009, formerly Lahore Wildlife Park, 1982)
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Philippines: Busuanga ( Calauit Safari Park, 1975), Morong ( Zoobic Safari, 2003), Carmen ( Cebu Safari and Adventure Park, 2018)
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Singapore: ( Night Safari, 1994)
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Taiwan: Guanxi ( Leofoo Village Theme Park, 1979)
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Thailand: Bangkok ( Safari World, 1988)
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United Arab Emirates: Dubai ( Dubai Safari Park, 2017)
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Vietnam: Phú Quốc ( Vinpearl Safari, 2015)
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Europe
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Belgium: Aywaille ( Le Monde Sauvage, 1975)
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Denmark: Givskud ( Løveparken, 1969), Knuthenborg (Knuthenborg Safaripark, 1969), Ebeltoft (Ree Park – Ebeltoft Safari, 1991)
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France: Thoiry ( Wow Safari Thoiry, 1968), Peaugres ( Safari de Peaugres, 1974), Sigean ( Réserve africaine de Sigean, 1974), Obterre ( Haute Touche Zoological Park, 1980) owned by the National Museum of Natural History, Port-Saint-Père ( Planète Sauvage, 1992)
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Germany: Gelsenkirchen (ZOOM Erlebniswelt Gelsenkirchen, 1949), Stuckenbrock ( Safariland Stukenbrock, 1969), Hodenhagen ( Serengeti Park, 1974)
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Great Britain: Longleat (1966), Woburn (1970), Knowsley (1971), Bewdley ( West Midlands Safari Park, 1973), Blair Drummond (1970), Highland Wildlife Park (1972)
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Italy: Bussolengo ( Parco Natura Viva, 1969), Fasano ( Zoosafari Fasanolandia, 1973), Pombia ( Pombia Safari Park, 1976), Murazzano ( Parco Safari delle Langhe, 1976), Ravenna ( Safari Ravenna, 2012)
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Netherlands: Hilvarenbeek ( Safaripark Beekse Bergen, 1968)
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Portugal: Santo André ( Badoca Safari Park, 1999)
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Russia: near Kamenka (Kudykina Gora, 2009)
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Spain: Penagos ( Cabarceno Natural Park, 1990)
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Sweden: Smålandet ( Markaryds Älg & Bison Safari)
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Oceania
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Australia
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South Australia: Monarto ( Monarto Safari Park, 1983)
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Victoria: Werribee ( Werribee Open Range Zoo, 1983)
See also
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SimSafari: a computer game simulating the management of a safari park
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Effects of the car on societies
Further reading
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Copperfield, Jimmy (1975). My Wild Life. Macmillan. London. 219 p. .
External links
