Had my first ever visit today to west midlands safari park. Arrived at 11am and did the drive safari first, which was miles better than knowsley, there were so many species in each zone, and we saw every possible animal on the safari that we could’ve. Highlights were the dhole, a species is never seen before, the giraffes who came really close to the car, the baby blesbok, again a species i’d never seen before, the camels were hilarious putting their heads in cars and the baby indian rhino was amazing. Being able to have the windows down definitely made it better. The eland were confident and came right up to the window. We spent 2 hours and 15 minutes in the drive safari. It was amazing. We then fed the giraffes which is a new experience, £5 each to feed a bamboo branch to the giraffes. That was amazing. We then had a walk around, however we couldn’t see the lions or cheetah on the foot safari, and we only saw a glimpse of the tigers and hippos. The rides were cool aswell. I had a great day and will definitely be using my free return within 6 months. Well worth the 2hour30 trip there and the same back.
West Midland Safari and Leisure Park West Midlands Safari Park news 2025
- Thread starter Strathmorezoo
- Start date
I understand your frustration at the single lap format, however there is a way round this as my last trip there I did the drive in the morning went for lunch then went on one of there mini bus tours around at £7.50 I found this quite good being able to being chauffeur driven around for a change and having the drivers knowledgeable insite was great along with a no rush feel always asking if we where ready to move on. Of course we had a good group on the bus and it was only a third full so plenty of space, not sure it would be as good with a full load as it didn’t have an air conditioning but for the price of a reasonable coffee now a days well worth it.
For anyone who would like to know, i will list which animals are in each sections on the drive safari:
African Plains:
- Southern White Rhino
- Rothschild’s Giraffe
- Congo Buffalo
- Common Eland
- Ellipsen Waterbuck
- Grevy’s Zebra
- African Elephant (Separate Enclosure)
Woodland Edge:
- Eld’s Deer
Land Of The Wild Dog:
- African Wild Dog
Realm Of The Lions:
- African Lion
The Grasslands:
- Blesbok
- Barbary Sheep
- Persian Fallow Deer
Wild Woods:
- Dhole
Wild Asia:
- Indian Rhino
- Banteng
- Blackbuck
- Axis Deer
- Barasingha
- Philippine Spotted Deer (Some in a seperate enclosure, i think a breeding pair)
- Lowland Anoa (Seperate Enclosure)
- White Bengal Tiger (Seperate Enclosure, I didn’t see it but think it’s still there)
African Lowlands:
- Plains Zebra
- Red Lechwe
- Common Ostrich
- Ankole Cattle
The Borderlands:
- Bactrian Camel
- Pere David’s Deer
- Formosan Sika Deer
- Philippine Spotted Deer
- Banteng
African Plains:
- Southern White Rhino
- Rothschild’s Giraffe
- Congo Buffalo
- Common Eland
- Ellipsen Waterbuck
- Grevy’s Zebra
- African Elephant (Separate Enclosure)
Woodland Edge:
- Eld’s Deer
Land Of The Wild Dog:
- African Wild Dog
Realm Of The Lions:
- African Lion
The Grasslands:
- Blesbok
- Barbary Sheep
- Persian Fallow Deer
Wild Woods:
- Dhole
Wild Asia:
- Indian Rhino
- Banteng
- Blackbuck
- Axis Deer
- Barasingha
- Philippine Spotted Deer (Some in a seperate enclosure, i think a breeding pair)
- Lowland Anoa (Seperate Enclosure)
- White Bengal Tiger (Seperate Enclosure, I didn’t see it but think it’s still there)
African Lowlands:
- Plains Zebra
- Red Lechwe
- Common Ostrich
- Ankole Cattle
The Borderlands:
- Bactrian Camel
- Pere David’s Deer
- Formosan Sika Deer
- Philippine Spotted Deer
- Banteng
I think the Safari park went out of crocodilians a few years ago. A shame really as they used to have a great selection of reptiles, which seems to be slowly phasing out now.
Taken off social media
Nakal is off on a new adventure!
We’re saying goodbye to our handsome Sumatran tiger, Nakal, as he heads to his new home at Howletts Wild Animal Park.
Keepers will truly miss his big personality - from his playful chuffs and affectionate head rubs, to his cheeky snarls and love of marmite enrichment! A gentle giant once he trusts you, Nakal has always struck the perfect balance between loving attention and enjoying his own space (usually hiding in the bamboo!).
He leaves a lasting legacy at WMSP through his cubs - Lestari, Nadirah, Nova, and Naresh - and has been a patient, playful role model to daughter Lestari, who adores following him around.
We’ll miss every bit of him, from his striking features to his independent ways and wish him all the best in this exciting new chapter
Nakal is off on a new adventure!
We’re saying goodbye to our handsome Sumatran tiger, Nakal, as he heads to his new home at Howletts Wild Animal Park.
Keepers will truly miss his big personality - from his playful chuffs and affectionate head rubs, to his cheeky snarls and love of marmite enrichment! A gentle giant once he trusts you, Nakal has always struck the perfect balance between loving attention and enjoying his own space (usually hiding in the bamboo!).
He leaves a lasting legacy at WMSP through his cubs - Lestari, Nadirah, Nova, and Naresh - and has been a patient, playful role model to daughter Lestari, who adores following him around.
We’ll miss every bit of him, from his striking features to his independent ways and wish him all the best in this exciting new chapter
Strathmorezoo
Well-Known Member
According to a brief BBC news item, two baby Red Pandas were suspected to have been born on the 16th of June. This has now been confirmed.
How many lions are there in total now
Main pride I believe there are:
- 4 males(Tsavo, Jengo & Jilani)
- 0:2 breeding lionesses(Scar & Amber)
- 0:1 younger lioness(Hernatty, Scars daughter born 2019)
- 2:1 cubs born this year(Nero, Nox & Nancy)
- Hodge
- Harabi
- Havoc
- Hercules
- Hodge, Havoc & Harabi are Tsavo x Amber
- Hercules is Tsavo x Scar
Was there one called Charlie a neutered male if so is he still there
That could well be the one I'm missing
End of an era as the last white tiger has died.
It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of our beloved white tiger, Buster
Born here at the Park in 2007, Buster has been an important part of our WMSP family for over 18 years. He built a strong bond with his keepers, some of whom have cared for him throughout his entire life, and he will be deeply missed by everyone who knew and loved him.
Despite the devoted care of his keepers, after some recent declining health issues, the kindest decision was made to put him to sleep to prevent any suffering.
We will remember Buster fondly for his gentle ‘chuffs’ when greeting his keepers, his love of rolling in the grass, relaxing on his platform, and playing with his favourite boomer balls.
We know many of you have special memories of Buster too, and we’d love for you to share your photos and stories with us in the comments, so we can all celebrate his incredible life together.
It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of our beloved white tiger, Buster
Born here at the Park in 2007, Buster has been an important part of our WMSP family for over 18 years. He built a strong bond with his keepers, some of whom have cared for him throughout his entire life, and he will be deeply missed by everyone who knew and loved him.
Despite the devoted care of his keepers, after some recent declining health issues, the kindest decision was made to put him to sleep to prevent any suffering.
We will remember Buster fondly for his gentle ‘chuffs’ when greeting his keepers, his love of rolling in the grass, relaxing on his platform, and playing with his favourite boomer balls.
We know many of you have special memories of Buster too, and we’d love for you to share your photos and stories with us in the comments, so we can all celebrate his incredible life together.
Olek
Well-Known Member
Truly devastating news, i've been watching white tigers at WMSP for as long as i can remember.
I'll always remember my amazement when I first saw them
Truly devastating news, i've been watching white tigers at WMSP for as long as i can remember.
I'll always remember my amazement when I first saw them
Am I correct that Buster was the last white tiger or is there 1 more?
Olek
Well-Known Member
i'm fairly certain he was the last
Truly a sad day.
I have not been to WMSP for about a decade now, yet the White tigers were always a great staple to every visit and all the ones that lived here will be missed.
This means the Safari Park are stuck with Sumatran tigers as their only subspecies. (which is a bit typical as Dudley and Twycross, the only other Midlands zoos that still have tigers also have Sumatrans).
Don't get me wrong, I love Sumatran tigers. But I would love to see Amur tigers exhibited somewhere nearby in future.
Sumatran Tigers have an actual conservation need. It's vastly more important to allocate valuable zoo space to them, rather than generic white Tigers.
Lafone
Well-Known Member
I agree.
Although of course we want the white tigers to live out their lives well, they wouldn't have been Amur tigers in any case.
Once they are gone, better to have Sumatran (or Amur) with a managed lineage for conservation reasons.
I know West Mids have referred to ‘big plans’ upcoming for the safari drive, and with there being a few areas being empties out recently (particularly the former cheetah and white lion enclosures, now most of the old tiger enclosures) I am curious as to what the plans in question might be…