Animal theme park

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A black-handed spider monkey in the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo, Jerusalem Jerusalem Zoo spider monkey.jpg
A black-handed spider monkey in the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo, Jerusalem

An animal theme park, also known as a zoological theme park, is a combination of an amusement park and a zoo, mainly for entertainment, amusement, and commercial purposes. Many animal theme parks combine classic theme park elements, such as themed entertainment and amusement rides, with classic zoo elements such as live animals confined within enclosures for display. Many times, live animals are utilized and featured as part of amusement rides and attractions found at animal theme parks.

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Two examples of animal theme parks are Disney's Animal Kingdom in Orlando, Florida (580 acres or 2.3 square kilometres) and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in Tampa, Florida (335 acres or 1.36 square kilometres). These commercial parks are similar to open-range zoos and safari parks according to size, but different in intention and appearance, containing more entertainment and amusement elements (stage shows, amusement rides, etc.).

The term "animal theme park" can also be used to describe certain marine mammal parks, oceanariums, and more elaborate dolphinariums, such as SeaWorld, which offers amusement rides and additional entertainment attractions, and are also where marine animals such as whales are kept, contained, put on display, and are sometimes trained to perform in shows.

In 2010 the practice of keeping animals as trained show performers in theme parks was heavily criticized when a trainer was killed by an orca whale at SeaWorld Orlando in Florida. [1]

List of animal theme parks

Zoological theme parks

Marine theme parks (marine mammal parks and oceanariums)

Sea World, Gold Coast, Australia Australian coral sealife.jpg
Sea World, Gold Coast, Australia

Zoos with amusement attractions

Bronx Zoo, New York City Stavenn Bronx Zoo 00.jpg
Bronx Zoo, New York City

, United States

Most zoos have a carousel and/or Safari Train, but some zoos have more amusement attractions than that.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amusement park</span> Park with rides and attractions

An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often featuring multiple areas with different themes. Unlike temporary and mobile funfairs and carnivals, amusement parks are stationary and built for long-lasting operation. They are more elaborate than city parks and playgrounds, usually providing attractions that cater to a variety of age groups. While amusement parks often contain themed areas, theme parks place a heavier focus with more intricately-designed themes that revolve around a particular subject or group of subjects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Six Flags Great Adventure</span> Theme park in Jackson, New Jersey

Six Flags Great Adventure is an amusement park located approximately 20 miles southeast of Trenton in Jackson, New Jersey. Owned and operated by Six Flags, the park complex is situated between New York City and Philadelphia and includes a water park named Hurricane Harbor. It first opened to the public as simply Great Adventure in 1974 under the direction of restaurateur Warner LeRoy. Six Flags acquired the park in 1977. The park is located right off of Interstate 195 and is along Monmouth Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Six Flags America</span> Amusement park in Maryland

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Särkänniemi</span> Amusement park in Tampere, Finland

Särkänniemi is an amusement park in Tampere, Finland, located in the district by the same name. The park features an aquarium, a planetarium, Doghill Fairytale Farm, an art museum and an observation tower Näsinneula. Särkänniemi is the second most popular amusement park in Finland with Linnanmäki in Helsinki being the most popular one. Särkänniemi has five rollercoasters: the inverted coaster Tornado, the flying coaster Trombi, the family motorcycle launch coaster MotoGee and Hype, a launched steel Sky Rocket II coaster, and family coaster Vauhtimato. The half-pipe coaster called Half Pipe was recently removed due to multiple reasons. Särkänniemi is owned by the city of Tampere and attracts over 600 000 visitors annually.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kings Dominion</span> Amusement park in Virginia

Kings Dominion is an amusement park in the eastern United States, located in Doswell, Virginia, twenty miles (30 km) north of Richmond and 75 miles (120 km) south of Washington, D.C. Owned and operated by Cedar Fair, the 280-acre (1.1 km2) park opened to the public on May 3, 1975, and features more than 60 rides, shows and attractions including 13 roller coasters and a 20-acre (8.1 ha) water park. Its name is derived from the name of its sister park, Kings Island near Cincinnati, and the nickname for the state of Virginia, "Old Dominion."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lotte World</span> Indoor theme park in Seoul, South Korea

Lotte World or Lotte World Adventure is a major recreation complex in Seoul, South Korea. It consists of a large indoor theme park, an outdoor amusement park called "Magic Island", an artificial island on a lake linked by monorail, shopping malls, a luxury hotel, an observation tower, a Korean folk museum, sports facilities, and movie theaters. Opened in July 1989, Lotte World receives approximately 7.3 million visitors each year. Lotte World's sister theme park, Lotte World Adventure Busan, opened in March 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heide Park</span> Amusement park in Soltau, Germany

Heide Park Resort, commonly known as Heide Park, is a theme park in Soltau, Lower Saxony, Germany. With an overall area of over 850,000 m2, it is the largest amusement park in Northern Germany and among the largest in the country. It is part of the British-based Merlin Entertainments, which operates 123 attractions in 24 countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Busch Gardens</span> American amusement parks in Florida & Virginia

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">ZooTampa at Lowry Park</span> Nonprofit zoo in Tampa, Florida

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chessington World of Adventures</span> Theme park in England

Chessington World of Adventures Resort is a 128 acres theme park, zoo and hotel complex in Chessington, Greater London, England, around 12 miles (19 km) southwest of Central London. The complex originally opened as Chessington Zoo in 1931; the theme park aspect was developed by The Tussauds Group, debuting on 7 July 1987 as one of the first combined animal-amusement parks in the UK. The theme park, which features over 40 rides, is now owned by Merlin Entertainments, following its merger with The Tussauds Group in 2007. Under Merlin, Chessington has been increasingly developed into a resort and tourist destination, including two on-site hotels, swimming pools, a campground, spa and fitness facilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Busch Gardens Tampa Bay</span> Animal theme park in Tampa, Florida

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is a 335-acre (136 ha) animal theme park located in Tampa, Florida, United States, with the entire park landscaped and designed around themes of Africa and Asia. Owned and operated by United Parks & Resorts, the park opened on June 1, 1959. The park has an annual attendance consistently exceeding 4 million, often ranking second among United Parks & Resorts parks behind SeaWorld Orlando.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kumba (roller coaster)</span> Ride at Busch Gardens Tampa

Kumba is a steel roller coaster located at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in Tampa, Florida. Manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, the ride opened in 1993. It stands 143 feet (44 m) tall and has a top speed of 60 miles per hour (97 km/h). Kumba features a total of seven inversions across the 3-minute ride.

Kraken (roller coaster) Steel roller coaster at SeaWorld Orlando

Kraken is a steel roller coaster located at SeaWorld Orlando in Florida, United States. Manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, the ride opened as the second longest floorless coaster in the world on June 1, 2000, with a track length measuring 4,177 feet (1,273 m). It features a total of seven inversions and reaches a maximum speed of 65 mph (105 km/h). The coaster was named after a fictional sea monster of the same name. In late 2016, Kraken underwent a refurbishment and reopened as Kraken Unleashed in June 2017. A virtual reality experience was added to the ride, but due to technical difficulties and extensive wait times, the feature was permanently removed the following year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Legoland Deutschland Resort</span> Lego theme park in Bavaria, Germany

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zierer</span> German maker of roller coasters and other amusements

Zierer Karussell- und Spezialmaschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG is a German company located close to Deggendorf. Zierer manufactures ESC and Force line of roller coasters, as well as panoramic wheels, wave swingers, flying carpets, Hexentanz, and Kontiki rides. They have previously manufactured the Tivoli line of coasters, however these have now been discontinued. The company also has partnered with Schwarzkopf to build Lisebergbanan at Liseberg and Knightmare at Camelot Theme Park.

<i>Arthur – The Ride</i> Roller coaster at Europa-Park

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin & Vleminckx</span> Roller coaster manufacturer

Martin & Vleminckx is a roller coaster manufacturing and construction company headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada with an affiliated office in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, a manufacturing facility in Haines City, Florida, United States, and two subsidiaries, including a warehouse, in China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freizeitpark Plohn</span> Seasonal amusement park in Germany

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References

  1. "Limited Understanding Of Animals In Theme Parks". NPR .