Lion Country Safari, Drive-through safari park in West Palm Beach, Florida
Lion Country Safari is a drive-through safari park and walk-through amusement park on over 600 acres in Loxahatchee, near West Palm Beach, Florida. Visitors drive their own vehicles along a four-mile route through seven sections holding more than 1,000 animals; giraffes, antelope and zebras roam freely and may cross the road, while lions and apes are kept behind fences or water barriers. A sign of bamboo poles at the entrance reads "SAFARI" above a green outline of Africa.
The park opened in 1967 as the first facility in the United States where animals could roam freely without cages across large areas. This founding concept influenced how wildlife parks developed naturalistic habitats throughout North America.
The chimpanzees live on an island system, moving to a different island each day to mirror their nomadic life in the wild. Because the groups keep complex social structures, the park has been used for behavioral studies of chimpanzees. It also serves as a retirement home for chimps once used in laboratories and entertainment; Little Mama, born around 1938 and the oldest known living chimpanzee, died there on November 14, 2017.
You drive your own vehicle through the park following marked routes while observing animals from your car at close range. Stay on designated roads and keep windows closed in certain areas to ensure both your safety and the animals' comfort.
The facility houses over 1000 animals, including lions, giraffes, and zebras, allowing guests to observe them from their cars in naturalistic habitats.
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