Wildlife Safari

Wildlife Safari is a safari park in Winston, Oregon, United States. It is home to hundreds of animals that wander freely over the 600-acre (240 ha) park, which guests can drive through. The park also includes a walkthrough exhibit displaying some of the park's smaller animals. It has Oregon's only African elephants and maned wolves as of 2009.

Wildlife Safari
Date openedOctober 1972 (October 1972)
Location1790 Safari Road
Winston, Oregon, U.S.
Coordinates43.1417°N 123.4265°W / 43.1417; -123.4265
Land area600 acres (240 ha)[1]
No. of animals600[2]
No. of species100[2]
MembershipsAZA[3]
WebsiteOfficial website

The safari has been member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums since 1986,[4] one of only three such animal attractions in the state.[5]

History

Frank Hart, a frequent visitor to Africa, created the safari park, which opened in October 1972 as World Wildlife Safari, on a 600-acre (240 ha) site.[6] "World" was dropped from the name on June 9, 1974, at the request of the unrelated, non-profit World Wildlife Fund, to avoid confusion.[7] Wildlife Safari became a non-profit organization in 1980, and is overseen by the Safari Game Search Foundation.[8]

Animals

Between the drive-through area and the village, Wildlife Safari features over 600 animals including Brown bears, South African cheetahs, Cape Eland, Southern white rhinoceros, African elephants, giraffes, Cotton-topped tamarins, hippopotamuses, African lions, and ostriches.

More than 600 of these animals are given free rein on the grasslands, and are accessible for viewing by driving on a 4.5-mile (7.2 km) road.[1] Visitors can stop to view the animals and take pictures anywhere along the main roads.[8] Protected contact animals separated from the free roaming animals include hippos, elephants, both black and brown bears, tigers,[9] lions, and cheetahs.[10]

About 90 of the park's animals are in the Safari Village, which includes a petting zoo, restrooms, a restaurant, a playground, and gift shop.[11]

Other facilities

The Safari Village includes a narrow gauge railroad, Safari Grill Event Center, Cheryl Ford Center, Safari Grill and Gift shop. The village area is a traditional zoo setting with smaller exhibits from animals from around the world. The newest feature to the Safari Village is the Wells Fargo Australian Walkabout exhibit. The Australian Walkabout immerses the guest into Australia allowing guest to go in with the Wallaroos, Black Swans and the Budgie Aviary.

Conservation

Wildlife Safari has a well established cheetah breeding program which, as of May 2020, has produced 219 cubs. In cooperation with the AZA's Species Survival Program, the cubs are sent to other accredited zoos across the United States.[12][13][14][15]

At least one animal rights organization endorses Wildlife Safari for its animal-focused conditions and care.[16]

References
  1. "Wildlife Safari". wildlifesafari.net. Wildlife Safari. Retrieved 14 December 2010.
  2. "Animals on Safari". wildlifesafari.net. Wildlife Safari. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
  3. "Currently Accredited Zoos and Aquariums". aza.org. AZA. Retrieved 14 December 2010.
  4. "Introduction to Park". wildlifesafari.net. Wildlife Safari. Retrieved 14 December 2010.
  5. Muldoon, Katy (July 20, 2010). "Zoo and aquarium inspectors scrutinize Oregon attractions". The Oregonian. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
  6. Federman, Stan (August 12, 1973). "Wildlife Safari jaunt difficult trek". The Sunday Oregonian. p. 29.
  7. "Farewell World" (photo and caption only). The Oregonian, June 9, 1974, "SunDAY" section, p. 20.
  8. "Wildlife Safari". spectacularoregon.com. Spectacular Oregon!. Retrieved 14 December 2010.
  9. Warren Wells (December 26, 2007). "Wildlife Safari's tigers are safe, animal curator says". KPIC. Retrieved 2012-02-17. The two tigers at Wildlife Safari stay behind a 12 foot fence and don't roam free as some of the other animals do.
  10. Lindsey Kovacevich (March 9, 2009). "'We are making immediate modifications to the exhibit to make sure this doesn't happen'". KPIC. Retrieved 2012-02-17. "The safari has a black bear collection that has been managed by what's called free contact," park curator Dan Brands said. "As of today, our method of managing them will be protected contact, and we are making immediate modifications to the exhibit to make sure this doesn't happen again." The safety improvement has been done to the lions, the cheetahs and most recently the brown bears. The black bears were the last ones to be improved for protected contact.
  11. "Wildlife Safari Winston Oregon". loonlakerv.com. Loon Lake Lodge & RV Resort. Retrieved 14 December 2010.
  12. "Cheetah Breeding Program". wildlifesafari.net. Wildlife Safari. Retrieved 15 December 2010.
  13. McKee, Chris. "2 cheetah cubs born at Wildlife Safari". kmtr.com. Newport Television LLC. Retrieved 15 December 2010.
  14. Alexis. "Two Cheetah Cubs Born at Oregon Wildlife Park". tigertailfoods.com. Tiger Tail Foods. Retrieved 15 December 2010.
  15. "2 Cheetah Cubs Born at Wildlife Safari". wn.com. WorldNews. 9 September 2010. Retrieved 15 December 2010.
  16. Samantha Ellis (November 7, 2011). "Animal Attractions To Avoid". Global Animal. Retrieved 2012-02-17. ...instead visit a wildlife reserve that focuses first and foremost on the welfare of the animals under their care, and on rehabilitating threatened and endangered species. If you are in Oregon, try visiting the Wildlife Safari in Winston. Wildlife Safari is a drive through safari where the animals are free and the visitors are enclosed. The park is dedicated to helping save rare and endangered species from around the world. Wildlife Safari is an AZA-accredited non-profit wildlife park dedicated to education, conservation and research.

Official website

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