Jungle Habitat

Warner Bros. Jungle Habitat, which was in West Milford, in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States, was a Warner Bros.-owned theme park that opened in the summer of 1972, and closed in October 1976. By November 1972, the park had 500,000 paid visitors. The park contained over 1,500 animals; it consisted of a drive-through section and a walk-through section. The drive-through section was an animal safari park and the walk-through area was called Jungle Junction (no relation to the Disney TV show of the same name).

History

The park featured a drive-through safari section, which allowed for wild animals to roam free and approach vehicles as they slowly drove through. Drivers and their passenger(s) could observe peacocks, baboons, camels, elephants, llamas, giraffes, and Siberian tigers in this section, either in their cars or on a Jungle Habitat bus. Many of the animals would climb atop the cars, and/or walk in front of vehicles, bringing them to a halt. Signs were posted along the route to warn visitors to keep their windows closed. Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey, approximately to the south, also had (until recently) a similar type of drive-through safari attraction (theirs has now been converted to a ride-through attraction as part of the amusement park, so it is still viewed by vehicle but not by car).

The walk-through section was a small theme park which included a petting zoo, camel and elephant rides, snack bars, gift shop, a reptile house, a dolphin show, and "Bugs Bunny and Friends" live shows with Warner Bros.' Looney Tunes characters, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Yosemite Sam, Tweety Bird, Sylvester the Cat, Speedy Gonzales, Wile E. Coyote, the Road Runner and Merlin the Magic Mouse. Guests could have their photographs taken with the characters. The shows occurred three times a day on weekdays, and four on weekends. A small tram station here was called ''Jungle Junction''. The park did not have amusement-style rides, although there were plans (which never materialized) to add them in the spring of 1977.

Plans

The park was initially profitable. However, business declined gradually as it failed to attract repeat business without changing its attractions or adding new ones. In 1975, Warner Bros. proposed a $20 million expansion project to the site. The project would include a large wooden roller coaster, a steel junior coaster, a carousel, log flume, plus adult spinning rides, and a few "kiddie" rides. The township's residents were divided on whether or not to approve such a project. The potential for further traffic congestion was a major issue.

Closure and current status

The park opened as usual during the summer of 1976, with rumors of a big expansion planned for the following summer. The park's last weekend in operation was Halloween weekend. On November 2, township residents narrowly voted against the expansion. Following the vote, Warner Bros. decided to shut the park down and sell the land. After the park closed, newspapers reported that several animal carcasses, including an elephant, had been left there to decay. Competition from Great Adventure, combined with poor management and the park's inability to easily expand, may have contributed to the demise of Jungle Habitat.

For years after it closed, the site's deteriorated buildings remained, and rumors of animals still roaming the property attracted curiosity seekers. Accounts of such explorations were published in ''Weird NJ'' magazine, and on its website. None of the animal-based rumors are true; the animals were sold to buyers across the country.

The Jungle Habitat property, containing of paved roads, was purchased by the state in 1988 for $1.45 million. The property, adjacent to Norvin Green State Forest and Greenwood Lake Airport, is part of Long Pond Ironworks State Park and is administered by Ringwood State Park. In 2007, under the direction of Ringwood State Park, the Ramapo Valley Cycling Club (a chapter of the Jersey Off Road Bicycle Association JORBA) performed a cleanup of the park, with 70 volunteers contributing. Brush was cleared and trash was removed. More recently, under the management of Ringwood State Park, JORBA built single-track trails designed for bicycle, equestrian, and foot traffic. There were 11 to 12 miles of single-track trails by 2008.

There was negotiation between West Milford and New Jersey to lease the macadam parking lot for recreational use. In recent years, the property was used to host West Milford's Fourth of July celebrations (known as "Thunder in the Highlands") under a special-use permit. A local bicycle shop sponsors "Rumble in the Jungle", an annual mountain bike race. The area has become popular with dog walkers, mountain bikers, trail runners, equestrians, and American black bears.

Incidents

* On October 9, 1972, an Israeli tourist, Abraham Levy, driving through the safari in a taxi, was attacked by a lion.
* In November 1972, two wolves escaped their enclosure and were caught before leaving the property.
* In December 1972, television show host Jack Paar was cut while "roughhousing" with a 6-month-old tiger cub while filming a TV special.
* On July 8, 1974, a woman was bitten by a baby African elephant who had reached out of its enclosure with its trunk and grabbed the woman; she ultimately was awarded $200,000 for her injuries.''The Region: $200,000 for Woman In Elephant-Bite Suit.''
''The New York Times'', p. B4. Accessed August 15, 2009, from ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851–2006). (Document ID: 111348438).
* In 1977, several of the park's animals had contracted tuberculosis and were euthanized.Hanley, Robert
"Decaying Animal Carcasses Found Unburied at Site of Jungle Habitat"
''The New York Times'', April 6, 1977. Accessed September 22, 2014. "At least two dozen dead animals have been left unburied at the site of the former Jungle Habitat drive through zoo here and state and local officials today began looking into any possible hazards posed by the decaying carcasses."

Former attractions

* Safari Car Ride – The main attraction of Warner Bros. Jungle Habitat was a drive through safari.
* Zebra-go Round – A carousel featuring zebras instead of horses.

See also

* List of incidents at Warner Bros. Jungle Habitat
* African Lion Safari
* Warner Bros. Movie World
* Parque Warner Madrid
* Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi

References

External links

*

"West Milford – Many still wrangling over Jungle Habitat site"
2006 article by Sharbari Bose about plans for the former park, online at the New York New Jersey Trail Conference site


Personal blog post of memories and pictures of Jungle Habitat.

Historical overview of the park and e-museum. Contains images, all news articles and historical facts from former employees. Maintained by Gwen Marquardt

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jungle Habitat
1972 establishments in New Jersey
1976 disestablishments in New Jersey
Buildings and structures in Passaic County, New Jersey
Defunct amusement parks in New Jersey
West Milford, New Jersey
Modern ruins
Warner Bros. Global Brands and Experiences
Former Warner Bros. Global Brands and Experiences attractions