Wildlife Safari
43°08′30″N 123°25′35″W / 43.1417°N 123.4265°W / 43.1417; -123.4265
Date openedOctober 1972 (October 1972)
Location1790 Safari Road
Winston, Oregon, U.S.
Land area615 acres (249 ha)[1]
No. of animalsOver 600[2]
No. of speciesOver 100[2]
Memberships
Websitewildlifesafari.net

Wildlife Safari is a safari park in Winston, Oregon, United States. It is home to hundreds of animals that wander freely over the 615-acre (249 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 first and maybe only African elephants and maned wolves as of 2021.

The safari has been a member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums since 1986,[5] one of only three such animal attractions in the state.[6] In 2021, it received a certification from the Zoological Association of America.[4]

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.[7] "World" was dropped from the name on June 9, 1974, at the request of the unrelated, non-profit World Wildlife Fund, to avoid confusion.[8] Wildlife Safari became a non-profit organization in 1980, and is overseen by the Safari Game Search Foundation.[9]

Animals

Between the drive-through area and the village, Wildlife Safari features over 600 animals including: red panda, Geoffroy's marmoset, Chilean flamingo, Egyptian goose, cotton-top tamarin, prehensile-tailed porcupine, northern red-billed hornbill, ball python, eastern blue-tongued skink, African spurred tortoise, domestic goat, miniature horse, Sicilian donkey, American alligator, bobcat, white-nosed coatimundi, maned wolf, capybara, ring-tailed lemur, red ruffed lemur, emu, budgerigar, ostrich, southern white rhinoceros, African lion, reticulated giraffe, scimitar-horned oryx, Cape eland, Damara zebra, white-bearded wildebeest, Watusi cattle, bald eagle, Greater kudu, waterbuck, American bison, North American black bear, grizzly bear, Roosevelt elk, guanaco, Red wolf, African elephant, hippopotamus, blackbuck, white-cheeked gibbon, fallow deer, nilgai, Tibetan yak, sika deer, dromedary camel, cheetah, Sumatran tiger, rhea, white-naped crane, and East African crowned crane. 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.[9] Protected contact animals separated from the free roaming animals include hippos, elephants, rhinos, both black and brown bears, tigers,[10] lions, and cheetahs.[11]

About 90 of the park's animals are in the Safari Village, which includes a petting zoo, train ride, restrooms, a restaurant, a playground, and gift shop.[12]

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, emu and the Budgie Aviary.

Conservation

Wildlife Safari has a well established cheetah breeding program which, as of July 2021, has produced 231 cubs. In cooperation with the AZA's Species Survival Plan, the cubs are sent to other accredited zoos across the United States.[13][14][15][16]

At least one animal rights organization endorses Wildlife Safari for its animal-focused conditions and care.[17]

Criticism

Wildlife Safari has come under criticism for its treatment of elephants, with California-based animal protection organization In Defense of Animals placing it among the ten worst zoos for elephants for twelve consecutive years;[18] in particular, the organization alleges that the zoo uses bullhooks to force the elephants to perform tricks, most notably washing tourists' cars.[19]

References

  1. 1 2 "Wildlife Safari". wildlifesafari.net. Wildlife Safari. Retrieved 14 December 2010.
  2. 1 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. 1 2 "Zoological Association of America - Accredited Facilities". zaa.org. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
  5. ↑ "Introduction to Park". wildlifesafari.net. Wildlife Safari. Retrieved 14 December 2010.
  6. ↑ Muldoon, Katy (July 20, 2010). "Zoo and aquarium inspectors scrutinize Oregon attractions". The Oregonian. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
  7. ↑ Federman, Stan (August 12, 1973). "Wildlife Safari jaunt difficult trek". The Sunday Oregonian. p. 29.
  8. ↑ "Farewell World" (photo and caption only). The Oregonian, June 9, 1974, "SunDAY" section, p. 20.
  9. 1 2 "Wildlife Safari". spectacularoregon.com. Spectacular Oregon!. Retrieved 14 December 2010.
  10. ↑ 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.
  11. ↑ 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.
  12. ↑ "Wildlife Safari Winston Oregon". loonlakerv.com. Loon Lake Lodge & RV Resort. Retrieved 14 December 2010.
  13. ↑ "Cheetah Breeding Program". wildlifesafari.net. Wildlife Safari. Retrieved 15 December 2010.
  14. ↑ McKee, Chris. "2 cheetah cubs born at Wildlife Safari". kmtr.com. Newport Television LLC. Retrieved 15 December 2010.
  15. ↑ Alexis. "Two Cheetah Cubs Born at Oregon Wildlife Park". tigertailfoods.com. Tiger Tail Foods. Retrieved 15 December 2010.
  16. ↑ "2 Cheetah Cubs Born at Wildlife Safari". wn.com. WorldNews. 9 September 2010. Retrieved 15 December 2010.
  17. ↑ 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.
  18. ↑ Offenbacher, Claude. "Animal Rights Group Takes On Wildlife Safari". KLCC. No. 20 January 2015. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  19. ↑ Alberts, Elizabeth Claire (13 January 2017). "Elephants Forced To Wash Tourists' Cars At 'Cruel' Zoo". The Dodo. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
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