Drive-through zoos
- Thread starter nanoboy
- Start date
I assume you mean why are so few drive-through parks AZA accredited? (Instead of why are so few not, implying most are). Good question - I am not sure the answer - but I know the best one IMO is the one that is accredited - Fossil Rim. As far as I know (I could be wrong on this), the only other accredited facility that lets visitors self-drive is Wildlife Safari in Oregon (which I have not been to).
There's one in Louisiana, Global Wildlife. But you don't take your own car. Still, there's a lot of different species that you get to feed. It's really cool; I used to take road trips up there all the time when I was little. They have a surprisingly large variety of species, and you can see that they're well taken care of.
I've been to two, Six Flags in N.J. and Lion Country Safari in Florida - both probably about 15-20 years ago. What amazes me to this day is how at Lion Country Safari you just drove through with the lions with only your car as a barrier. That's no longer the case, but I'm guessing some of the drive-through safaris out there still allow this? Just the fact that you can still drive your car amongst rhinos seems crazy enough.
Lion Country Safari (in Florida) is currently AZA accredited.
Lion Country Safari (in Florida) is currently AZA accredited.
Blackduiker
Well-Known Member
Blackduiker
I visited the now closed Lion Country Safari California on three separate occasions. It was in existence for 14 years, 1970-1984. Located in the Laguna Hills area of Irvine, California in Orange County. And yes, we were able to drive right past the lions, with the warning to "keep your doors locked and your windows rolled up all the way." But not only lions, but African Elephants and White Rhinoceros too. This park had probably the largest lioness I've ever seen, and maybe the largest group of cheetahs in captivity. Speaking of lions, their most famous resident was Frasier, nicknamed "Frasier the Sensuous Lion." He became so popular, a movie was made about him in 1973. Here are some images taken off the Internet:
Yesterland: Lion Country Safari in California (1970-1984)
lion country safari california - Bing Images
Modern Day Ruins: Lion Country Safari: Irvine, California
I visited the now closed Lion Country Safari California on three separate occasions. It was in existence for 14 years, 1970-1984. Located in the Laguna Hills area of Irvine, California in Orange County. And yes, we were able to drive right past the lions, with the warning to "keep your doors locked and your windows rolled up all the way." But not only lions, but African Elephants and White Rhinoceros too. This park had probably the largest lioness I've ever seen, and maybe the largest group of cheetahs in captivity. Speaking of lions, their most famous resident was Frasier, nicknamed "Frasier the Sensuous Lion." He became so popular, a movie was made about him in 1973. Here are some images taken off the Internet:
Yesterland: Lion Country Safari in California (1970-1984)
lion country safari california - Bing Images
Modern Day Ruins: Lion Country Safari: Irvine, California
All five UK safari parks have drive-through lion reserves (with, it must be said, no real problems at all).
There are plenty of 'dangerous' animals in UK drive-throughs (tigers, Cape Buffalo, American Black Bears, wolves, White Rhino, bison, yaks, African Wild Dogs, giraffes) but still the most damage to cars always seems to be the primates - Knowsley's baboons in particular are a determined lot!
Only two times in all my visits have I been nervous - once when West Mids' lions seemed to be targeting me and zoogiraffe in particular, and once when surrounded by camels!
The most damage to any vehicle i've been in was inflicted by that most savage of beasts... The Watusi cow!
The lions at WMSP have caused alarm many times, whenever they start fighting it always seems to be within feet of the car I happen to be in!
IanRRobinson
Well-Known Member
Not having been to Knowsley, I wonder how they manage their baboons. I think I'm right in saying that all the other UK safari parks, except Windsor, had replaced them with Rhesus Macaques by the mid seventies.
Pootle
Well-Known Member
Not having been to Knowsley, I wonder how they manage their baboons.With sticks, brushes, and food or any other suitable object they have to hand
There are 2 crystal clear sentences by the Knowsley Baboon entrance :
1. Do not feed the Baboons - obviously many people can't read
2. Baboons Can damage your car - ditto above
We ALWAYS park up in the 'Driver friendly route' as they call it and watch the Baboons go to work dismantling cars as they go through. Screen wash nozzles and windscreen wipers are favourites for removal, but when a larger Baboon decides he wants part of a car he can pull just about anything off, rubber seals, number plates, wing mirrors, make/model of car badges, etc,
Seen some demolition business go on in their and some very very angry drivers too, one chap I had to feel for had a newish good model Mercedes and a Baboon took (well snapped
If you really want to get nervous drive through Hayden Valley in Yellowstone National Park. You have wild bison surround your car.
IanRRobinson
Well-Known Member
It sounds as though Knowsley's visitors have been extremely tolerant over the years! Anthony Smith's "Animals on View" relates some lurid tales of baboon misbehaviour from the early 1970s at other parks. My favourite was the animals at Lambton who broke out and managed to arrive at a nearby churchyard, just in time for a funeral service...
nanoboy
Well-Known Member
We ALWAYS park up in the 'Driver friendly route' as they call it and watch the Baboons go to work dismantling cars as they go through. Screen wash nozzles and windscreen wipers are favourites for removal, but when a larger Baboon decides he wants part of a car he can pull just about anything off, rubber seals, number plates, wing mirrors, make/model of car badges, etc,
Seen some demolition business go on in their and some very very angry drivers too, one chap I had to feel for had a newish good model Mercedes and a Baboon took (well snapped
Well, there goes my chances of ever driving through a zoo. We will be in a rental car of course, and I'd rather not have to pay Hertz a large sum of money for baboon damage.
David Taylor wrote about one of the Safari Parks (I forget which one) in which the baboons kept escaping by hiding up inside the wheel-rims of the cars and riding out with them. (That's from memory, possibly influenced by the tv series, so anyone feel free to correct me).pootle said:
nanoboy
Well-Known Member
Which TV series? You mean 'Customs'? The reality TV series that showcases illegal immigrants trying to cross the English Channel from France in the wheel-wells of lorries?
Blackduiker
Well-Known Member
Blackduiker
With all the talk about baboons in drive-through zoos/safari parks, does anyone remember the famous baboon scene from the original 1976 screen version of "The Omen" starring Gregory Peck and Lee Remick? Where they are driving through a safari park in England? The scene where dozens of baboons go berserk and attack their car, trying to get to their young son Damien; AKA the Anti-Christ? Very well done and rather frightening. And does anyone know where that particular scene was filmed? I recommend it for the older, more mature ZooChatters if only for that one scene. Younger members, only when you're well into your teens.
With all the talk about baboons in drive-through zoos/safari parks, does anyone remember the famous baboon scene from the original 1976 screen version of "The Omen" starring Gregory Peck and Lee Remick? Where they are driving through a safari park in England? The scene where dozens of baboons go berserk and attack their car, trying to get to their young son Damien; AKA the Anti-Christ? Very well done and rather frightening. And does anyone know where that particular scene was filmed? I recommend it for the older, more mature ZooChatters if only for that one scene. Younger members, only when you're well into your teens.
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IanRRobinson
Well-Known Member
Don't let drive-through primate reserves put you off. As Pootle has pointed out, Knowsley has a a bypass for their Baboons, and I think most parks would have one. Any other considerations aside, I should have that their insurers would insist on it.
It sounds as though Knowsley's visitors have been extremely tolerant over the years! Anthony Smith's "Animals on View" relates some lurid tales of baboon misbehaviour from the early 1970s at other parks. My favourite was the animals at Lambton who broke out and managed to arrive at a nearby churchyard, just in time for a funeral service...
The Lambton baboons used to cling under coaches in an attempt to escape, the coaches had to be inspected underneath before leaving this section of the park, a friend of mine once took a trip there in a brand new Northern coach, the baboons promptly snapped off the windscreen wipers, sod's law, it started to rain very heavily, fortunately my friend was able to run the coach into nearby Chester le Street depot to have new wipers fitted before embarking on the journey home. After Jimmy Chipperfield parted company with the Lambton estate the baboons left, this area later became Wolf Wood, the wolves coming from London Zoo.
I can also remember coach companies stating in their publicity material for safari park trips that the tour would exclude the monkey/baboon areas due to the damage which could be done to the vehicles.
With all the talk about baboons in drive-through zoos/safari parks, does anyone remember the famous baboon scene from the original 1976 screen version of "The Omen" starring Gregory Peck and Lee Remick? Where they are driving through a safari park in England? The scene where dozens of baboons go berserk and attack their car, trying to get to their young son Damien; AKA the Antichrist? Very well done and rather frightening. And does anyone know where that particular scene was filmed? I recommend it for the older, more mature ZooChatters if only for that one scene. Younger members, only when you're well into your teens.
I am thinking it was longleat and the story goes they had placed in a cage a baby baboon in the car and that is how they motivated the baboons to be so aggressive.