Safari West, Nature reserve in Sonoma County, US.
Safari West is a 400-acre wildlife preserve 12 miles north of Santa Rosa in Sonoma County, California. It keeps over 800 animals of about 80 species, mainly African, including giraffes, rhinoceroses, cape buffalo, watusi cattle, cheetahs, zebras, hyenas and primates. Visitors tour in guided safari vehicles and can stay overnight in tent cabins.
Peter Lang began keeping wild animals in the 1970s on a Beverly Hills cattle ranch, then moved the operation to Santa Paula and, in the late 1980s, to a former cattle ranch near Santa Rosa. Safari West opened to children's tours in 1993 and later added safari tours, overnight lodging and a restaurant. In 2017, at age 76, Lang fought the Tubbs Fire for 10 hours with garden hoses; no animals were killed.
The facility presents African animals within California's setting and teaches visitors about species protection and natural habitats through educational programs on site.
The best time to visit is early morning when animals are most active and temperatures are cooler. Plan to spend 4 to 6 hours to comfortably explore the grounds and enjoy the full experience.
On the night of October 8, 2017, Peter Lang, then 76, fought back the flames of the Tubbs Fire for ten hours using only garden hoses; no animals were killed. The park also keeps species that are extinct in the wild. It lost its accreditation as a private zoological facility on October 6, 2021.
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