Safari park

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Giraffes at the Safaripark Beekse Bergen, Netherlands Giraffa camelopardalis -Safaripark Beekse Bergen-11July2009.jpg
Giraffes at the Safaripark Beekse Bergen, Netherlands
White rhinoceros at Pombia Safari Park, Italy Safa.JPG
White rhinoceros at Pombia Safari Park, Italy
White Rhinoceros at San Diego Safari Park, US Rhino san diego wild animal park.jpg
White Rhinoceros at San Diego Safari Park, US
Grant's zebras at Africam Safari, Mexico Grants zebras zoo.jpg
Grant's zebras at Africam Safari, Mexico

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.

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A safari park is larger than a zoo and smaller than a game reserve. For example, African Lion Safari in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada is 750 acres (3.0 km2). For comparison, Lake Nakuru in the Great Rift Valley, Kenya, is 168 square kilometres (65 sq mi), and a typical large game reserve is Tsavo East, also in Kenya, which encompasses 11,747 square kilometres (4,536 sq mi).

Many parks have conservation programmes with endangered animals like: elephants, white rhinos, giraffes, lions, tigers, cheetahs 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: giraffes, lions (including white lions), white rhinos, African bush elephants, hippopotamuses, zebras, ostriches, lesser and greater flamingos, ground hornbills, guineafowl, African buffaloes, sometimes dromedary camels, great white and pink-backed pelicans, African sacred ibises, Ankole cattle, cheetahs, leopards, hyenas, chimpanzees, baboons, African wild dogs, Barbary sheep, crowned cranes, Egyptian geese, saddle-billed, yellow-billed and marabou storks, Nile crocodiles (in a side paddock), Nubian ibexes, and many antelope species including- wildebeest, hartebeest, topi, gazelles, elands, lechwe, addaxes, oryxes, bongos, kudus, nyalas, impalas, springbok, blesbok, sitatunga, duikers, waterbucks, sable antelopes, and roan antelopes, just to name a few.

Also in the reserves there are animals that are not from Africa: Asian species include: Asian elephants, Indian and Sumatran rhinoceroses, gaur, water buffaloes, nilgais, blackbucks, banteng, markhor, Malayan tapirs, wild asses, sambar deer, Indian hog deer, yaks, gibbons, tigers (including white tigers), Asian black bears, Eld's deer, babirusas, chital, dholes, barasinghas, painted storks, peafowl, and Bactrian camels; North American species include: American black bears, brown bears, wolves (including Arctic wolves), American bison, elk, and white-tailed deer; South American species include: llamas, alpacas, jaguars, capybaras, anteaters, South American tapirs, rheas, and black-necked swans; Australian species include kangaroos, wallabies, emus, and black swans; European species include: European bisons, Eurasian wolves, mute swans, 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, squirrel monkeys, penguins, marmosets, tamarins, mongooses, meerkats, lemurs, gorillas, reptiles, hornbills, red pandas, snow leopards, otters and warthogs. Some also have: children's zoos, aquariums, butterfly houses 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 kangaroos, lemurs and wallabies. The Knowsley Safari in England keeps Siberian tigers and giraffes in their walking area.

Safari parks often have other associated tourist attractions: golf courses, carnival rides, cafés/restaurants, ridable miniature railways, boat trips to see aquatic animals like sea lions, life-sized recreations of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals, plant mazes, playgrounds, monorails, cable cars and gift shops.[ citation needed ] 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 siamangs; African Lion Safari in Canada has black-and-white ruffed lemurs, ring-tailed lemurs, lar gibbons, siamangs, Colombian spider monkeys, Geoffroy's spider monkeys, pink-backed pelicans and black swans in the waters.

History and list of parks

Giraffes being fed by visitors in the West Midlands Safari Park, England Giraffes at west midlands safari park.jpg
Giraffes being fed by visitors in the West Midlands Safari Park, England

The predecessor of safari parks is Africa U.S.A. Park (1953–1961) in Florida. [1]

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. [2] [3] Longleat, Windsor, Woburn and arguably the whole concept of safari parks were the brainchild of Jimmy Chipperfield (1912–1990), former co-director of Chipperfield's Circus, although a similar concept is explored as a plot device in Angus Wilson's "The Old Men at the Zoo" which was published five years before Chipperfield set up Longleat. [4] Longleat's Marquess of Bath agreed to Chipperfield's proposition to fence off 40 hectares (100 acres) of his vast Wiltshire estate to house 50 lions. Knowsley, the Earl of Derby's estate outside Liverpool, and the Duke of Bedford's Woburn estate in Bedfordshire both established their own safari parks with Chipperfield's partnership. Another circus family, the Smart Brothers, joined the safari park business by opening a park at Windsor for visitors from London. The former Windsor Safari Park was in Berkshire, England, but closed in 1992 and has since been made into a Legoland theme park. There is also Chipperfield's "Scotland Safari Park" established on Baronet Sir John Muir's estate at Blair Drummond near Stirling, and the American-run "West Midland Safari and Leisure Park" near Birmingham. One park, along with Jimmy Chipperfield at Lambton Castle in North East England, has closed.

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 250-metre (820 ft) 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.

See also

Related Research Articles

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The San Diego Zoo Safari Park, originally named the San Diego Wild Animal Park until 2010, is an 1800-acre zoo in the San Pasqual Valley area of San Diego, California, near Escondido. It is one of the largest tourist attractions in San Diego County. The park houses a large array of wild and endangered animals from every continent, except Antarctica; this includes the largest, most comprehensive collection of hoofed mammals (ungulates) in the world. The park is in a semi-arid environment, about 30 miles (48 km) inland from the Pacific Ocean, giving it a year-round ‘feeling’ of being in Africa, with one of its most notable attractions being the Africa Tram, a half-hour guided tram ride which showcases the expansive ‘grassland’ exhibits. These free-range enclosures house the majority of the park's larger species, such as numerous antelopes, giraffes, buffalo, cranes, and rhinoceros, among others. The park is also noted for its California condor breeding program. When booked in-advance, the park also offers several longer, more in-depth safari options, some of which involve riding in an open-top truck to feed the animals in the field enclosures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Singapore Zoo</span> Zoo situated in Mandai, Singapore

The Singapore Zoo, formerly known as the Singapore Zoological Gardens or Mandai Zoo, is a 28 hectares zoo located on the margins of Upper Seletar Reservoir within Singapore's heavily forested central catchment area. It is operated by the Mandai Wildlife Group, which also manages the neighbouring Night Safari, River Wonders, Bird Paradise as well as the forthcoming Rainforest Wild Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whipsnade Zoo</span> Zoo near Dunstable in Bedfordshire, England

Whipsnade Zoo, formerly known as ZSL Whipsnade Zoo and Whipsnade Wild Animal Park, is a zoo and safari park located at Whipsnade, near Dunstable in Bedfordshire, England. It is one of two zoos that are owned by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Midlands Safari Park</span> Safari park in Worcestershire, England

West Midlands Safari Park is a safari park located in Bewdley in Worcestershire, England. It was opened under the name of West Midland Safari Park in Spring 1973.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knowsley Safari Park</span> Zoo in Merseyside, England

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Longleat Safari and Adventure Park</span> Safari Park in Wiltshire, England

Longleat Safari and Adventure Park in Wiltshire, England, was opened in 1966 as the world's first drive-through safari park outside Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chipperfield's Circus</span> British family entertainment show

Chipperfield's Circus is a British family touring show, continuing a 300-year-old family business.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woburn Safari Park</span> Safari park in Bedfordshire, England

Woburn Safari Park is a safari park located in Woburn, Bedfordshire, England. Visitors to the park can drive through exhibits, which contain species such as southern white rhino, elephants, tigers and black bears. It is part of the estates of the Duke of Bedford that also includes Woburn Abbey and its 3,000-acre (1,200 ha) deer park. The Safari Park itself covers 360 acres (150 ha).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blair Drummond Safari Park</span> Zoo in Scotland

Blair Drummond Safari Park is a family visitor attraction located near Stirling in Scotland. It opened to the public on 15 May 1970 and is home to over 350 animals, many of which roam freely or are kept in large enclosures in the 120-acre (49 ha) estate. The Safari Park is open from mid March until the end of December each year.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Africam Safari</span> Zoo in Puebla, Mexico

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shambala Animal Kingdom</span> Zoo in Kuranda Queensland

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Safari World</span> Tourist attraction in Bangkok

Safari World is a tourist attraction in Bangkok, Thailand that consists of two parks named Marine Park and Safari Park, operated by Safari World Public Limited. The park was opened in 1988 with a total area of 480 acres (190 ha) for its open zoo and 180 acres (73 ha) for its bird park. A major renovation to enhance effectiveness of land use began on 17 April 1989 and its total area developed for the leisure park now consists of an open zoo and a marine park on 500 rai of land.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malacca Zoo</span> Zoo in Central Melaka, Melaka, Malaysia

Malacca Zoo, officially the Malacca Zoo and Night Safari, is a 54-acre (22 ha) zoological park located beside Lebuh Ayer Keroh in Ayer Keroh, Malacca, Malaysia, which hosts more than 1200 animals including 215 species of birds, amphibians, reptiles, mammals. It is the second-largest zoo in Malaysia behind the National Zoo of Malaysia, both were established in 1963. The zoo acts as both a rescue base and an animal sanctuary and was initially owned by the Malacca State Government, but its management was taken over by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks of Malaysia in 1979 and later opened to the public by the then Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohammad on 13 August 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Safaripark Beekse Bergen</span> Wildlife zoo in the Netherlands

Safaripark Beekse Bergen is the largest wildlife zoo of the Benelux region and provides a home to approximately 1,250 animals from over 150 species, varying from small mammals to large birds. It is located between the cities of Tilburg and Hilvarenbeek in the south of the Netherlands. The visitors can for instance watch zebras and giraffes on the spacious savannahs. Safaripark Beekse Bergen offers the possibility to explore the park on numerous safaris: walksafari, carsafari, bussafari and boatsafari.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Folly Farm Adventure Park and Zoo</span> Zoo in Pembrokeshire, Wales

The Folly Farm Adventure Park and Zoo, situated to the north of Saundersfoot and Tenby in Pembrokeshire, is a visitor attraction in Wales with around 500,000 visitors each year. Initially a farm attraction, the park is now also home to an indoor vintage funfair, a zoo with over 200 different species of animal and extensive indoor and outdoor adventure play areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knuthenborg Safaripark</span> Safari park in Denmark

Knuthenborg Safaripark is a safari park on the island of Lolland in the southeast of Denmark. It is located 5 km (3.1 mi) to the north of Maribo, near Bandholm. It is one of Lolland's major tourist attractions with over 300,000 visitors annually, and is the largest safari park in northern Europe. Among others, it houses a drive-through safari park, a monkey forest, large enclosures for Siberian tigers and African bush elephants, a dinosaur forest with full-scale models, the Museum of Evolution with fossils of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals, an arboretum, and the largest nature playground in Denmark. Knuthenborg covers a total of 660 hectares, including the 400-hectare (990-acre) Safaripark. The park is viewable on Google Street View.

References

  1. Life, Vol.49, No.5, August 1, 1960, pp.1,30.
  2. The lions and loins of Longleat The Sunday Times Retrieved February 18, 2011
  3. Gail Vines (2 December 1982). "Safari parks, after the honeymoon". New Scientist: 554–557. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
  4. Sansom, Ian (15 May 2010). "Great dynasties of the world: The Chipperfields". The Guardian . London. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  5. 10 lugares que ya no existen en Puerto Rico: Aquí una lista nostálgica de lugares que ya no existen excepto en la memoria. Primera Hora. 1 October 2013. Accessed 21 September 2020.

References