The African Safari Wildlife Park is a drive through
wildlife park in
Port Clinton, Ohio,
United States. Visitors can drive through the preserve and watch and feed the animals from their car. Visitors can spend as much time in the preserve as they wish, observing and feeding the animals, before proceeding to the walk through part of the park, called Safari Junction. The park is closed during the winter.
The park is accredited by the
Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), and considers itself to be one of the leaders in conservation efforts for the animals it supports. Current breeding efforts are focused on the alpaca, white zebra, giraffe, and giant eland.
On November 28, 2019, a large fire erupted in a barn where some of the animals were kept, killing 10 animals. An investigation by the State Fire Marshal ruled that the cause was undetermined, but was not from criminal activity. The park re-opened on May 14, 2020.
Exhibits
The park consists of the Safari, where visitors drive through the animal's habitat, and a walk through section called Safari Junction.
In the Safari, visitors drive through the preserve, and could see more than 50 species in their natural habitat. The species in the preserve include
giraffe
The giraffe is a large African hoofed mammal belonging to the genus ''Giraffa''. It is the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant on Earth. Traditionally, giraffes were thought to be one species, ''Giraffa camelopardalis ...
s,
zebras (including the rare white zebra),
buffalo,
alpaca,
llama,
warthogs,
deer,
elk
The elk (''Cervus canadensis''), also known as the wapiti, is one of the largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, and one of the largest terrestrial mammals in its native range of North America and Central and East Asia. The common ...
,
bison
Bison are large bovines in the genus ''Bison'' (Greek: "wild ox" (bison)) within the tribe Bovini. Two extant and numerous extinct species are recognised.
Of the two surviving species, the American bison, ''B. bison'', found only in North Ame ...
,
dromedary and
Bactrian camels, and
giant eland.
Many of the animals will come right up to the cars to investigate and to be fed. The park provides one container of food for each car, and additional food can be purchased. Visitors can drive around the preserve as often as they wish.
Safari Junction includes the Mombasa Food pavilion, Simba Lodge Gift Shop, Pork Chop Downs (pig races), educational shows, camel and pony rides, and a petting zoo.
It also includes an
American alligator, a
red river hog,
red kangaroos,
tortoises and a
gibbon
Gibbons () are apes in the family Hylobatidae (). The family historically contained one genus, but now is split into four extant genera and 20 species. Gibbons live in subtropical and tropical rainforest from eastern Bangladesh to Northeast India ...
island.
Notes
External links
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Safari parks
Zoos in Ohio
Protected areas of Ottawa County, Ohio
Tourist attractions in Ottawa County, Ohio
Zoos established in 1973