• WHEN: Thursday, May 13, 2010
  11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
  
  
• WHERE: Miami Children’s Hospital
  3100 SW 62 Avenue
  Miami, FL  33155

West Palm Beach, FL - Lion Country Safari’s chapter of American Association of Zoo Keepers (AAZK) invites the public to join in “striking” big while raising money for rhino conservation at the annual Bowling for Rhinos from 7-9:30 pm on Friday, May 28, 2010 at Palm Beach Strike Zone, 6591 S. Military Trail, Lake Worth. This bowling fundraiser promotes awareness and raises funds to support Earth’s second largest land animal, the rhinoceros.

Interested parties may participate in this year’s Bowling for Rhinos by purchasing tickets the event for $25 each. The ticket cost covers admission to the event (2 hours of bowling, shoe rental, pizza, and soda) and a donation to the Bowling for Rhinos fund.  In addition, participants are encouraged to find sponsors to increase individual donations made to the Bowling for Rhinos fund. On the night of the event, prizes including Museum of Discovery and Science Tickets, IMAX® tickets, Chick-fil-A® meal coupons, Panera Bread® gift card and more will be awarded to participants who collect the highest amounts of sponsorship money.

The three organizations benefiting from the Bowling for Rhinos fundraiser are: Ujung Kulon National Park in Java, Indonesia, home to the last Javan rhinos on earth; Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya, home to both black and white rhinos; and Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park in Sumatra, Indonesia, where one of the largest populations of Sumatran rhinos live.  One hundred percent of all donated funds from Bowling for Rhinos go directly to these three conservation organizations to help protect these endangered animals.

The Bowling for Rhinos fundraiser has been held annually since 1990 by the national AAZK organization, raising over $3,000,000 for rhinos entirely through volunteer efforts.  Staff members at Lion Country Safari organized the local chapter of the AAZK in 1998 and have participated in Bowling for Rhinos since 2002, raising over $5,000 for rhino conservation.  AAZK was formed in 1967 and offers zoo professionals the opportunity to work for the betterment of animal care through its Conservation, Preservation and Restoration Committee and its Environmental Enrichment Committee.  The Association also offers grants to keepers interested in husbandry as well as field or reproductive research.

West Palm Beach, Fl - Cupid, the giraffe, will celebrate his fifth birthday at Lion Country Safari this Valentine's Day. Cupid's name is fitting as Lion Country Safari has high hopes for him as a future breeder with the giraffe herd. Cupid also has a heart-shaped spot which distinguishes him. Visitors can meet Cupid at the giraffe feeding exhibit where he eagerly interacts with visitors.

Giraffes are the tallest of all animals, and can reach heights of 17 feet. With keen senses of smell, sight, and hearing, giraffes are well equipped to sense danger approaching. Its long legs, neck, and 15-inch tongue allow the giraffe to reach the tender leaves of the tallest acacia trees. Despite the length of its neck, a giraffe still only has seven vertebrae in its neck - the same number as most other mammals. Giraffe horns are unlike those of any other mammal: they are covered with skin.

West Palm Beach, FL - Kampgrounds of America, Inc. recently honored West Palm Beach/Lion Country Safari KOA campground with the President's Award and Founder's Award for its outstanding facility and operation.

 The President's Award is given to KOA Kampgrounds that received exceptional scores on their quality assurance facilities review, for being a positive part of the KOA system, and for receiving high scores on their annual camper satisfaction surveys received from their own camping guests. 

Only six KOA campgrounds in Florida received both the Founder's Award and the President's Award. Jim Rogers, Chairman and CEO of Kampgrounds of America, Inc. said "our campgrounds, just like the Lion Country Safari KOA, are getting better every year in exceeding the expectations of our campers. We've very proud to have these great parks in the KOA family."

Lion Country Safari KOA campground opened in November 1983 as a full service campground with 233 sites including cabins, pull through sites and tent sites. The Travel Channel named it "One of the World's Top Ten Richest RV Parks" for the experience of sleeping yards from wild animals at Lion Country Safari's drive-through safari. Campers can hear lions roar and siamangs hoot throughout the day!

Established in Billings, Mont. in 1962, Kampgrounds of America, Inc. is the largest system of campgrounds in the world.  KOA offers RV, tent, Kamping Kabin, Lodges and Kottages at campground locations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Japan.  Currently, KOA has nearly 500 franchised campgrounds, and 15 company operated properties that are open to the public.  For more information, visit Kampgrounds of America at www.koa.com.

Loxahatchee, FL - Guests are invited to Lion Country Safari on October 31, 2008, to watch the animals on safari "trick or treat". Lion Country Safari's lions, elephants and chimps will enjoy Halloween pumpkins and goodie bags throughout Halloween.

Lion Country Safari guests are welcome to come in costume and can visit treat stations set up in the walk through park (including some rides and in the retail shops) from 11am-3pm. Children can create crafts and help ChimpanZoo volunteers create enrichments for the chimpanzees.  ChimpanZoo is a program developed by renowned chimpanzee expert Jane Goodall for the research, enrichment and education of captive chimpanzees. Enrichments/treats are an important part of the animals' daily lives at Lion Country Safari. They help to elicit the animals' natural behaviors.  

Thursday, 8/13 at 9:30 a.m.

Loxahatchee, FL – Lion Country Safari’s lions will get pouncing practice during the morning of August 13, 2009, compliments of one hundred campers enrolled in Lion Country Safari’s summer camp. In recognition of this week’s “lion” theme, campers constructed and decorated papier-mâché animals for presentation to the lions. The newest creation being presented for the first time ever, will be a life-size elephant.

"Making enrichments is an integral part of the Safari Day Camp experience," says Education Director, Rhonda Beitmen. "It enhances the campers' understanding of animal behaviors and it enriches the animals' lives at the same time."

Safari Day Camp is an educational and entertaining summer adventure for children ages 6-13. Each week offers a different theme. Campers help prepare animal diets, observe behaviors, participate in feedings and presentations, visit with keepers -- all while getting "up close and personal" with our furred and feathered critters. Swimming, paddle boating, hiking, arts and crafts, and group games round out their experience." This is the final week of summer camp for 2009.

Lion Country Safari is Florida’s only drive-through safari in the state where guests drive their own vehicles through. See over 900 animals in the drive through safari and walk through amusement park. Animals have the right of way!

West Palm Beach, FL - Summer is here and that means many new babies at south Florida's only drive through safari - Lion Country Safari. Within the past weeks, 4 baby eland, 4 baby impala and 6 baby goats have been born. More babies are expected in the upcoming weeks

The impala are visible to the public in a maternity pen just before the lion section.

• The impala is one of the most agile of all the antelope species. They range from southern Africa to the northern limits of east Africa. They weigh 100 to 135 lbs and stand 28-36 inches tall. The males' graceful lyre-shaped horns are 18-37 inches long; the females have no horns. The impala is typically found at grassland and woodland edges, usually very close to water.

The eland babies are with the herd in the Serengeti Plains area of the drive through preserve.

• The eland is the largest of the African antelope species, males reaching 6 feet tall at the shoulder and weighing 1500 lbs. Both males and females have straight, screw-like horns that can grow to 3 feet long. A flap of skin called a dewlap hangs down at the front of the neck, and bears a tuft of hair on the end of it. They are found in small herds in open habitats of east Africa.

The goats are still "behind the scenes" at the petting zoo.

• Pygmy goats are known to be affectionate, cute, lovable and playful. Adults range from 16-23 inches at the shoulders and weigh between 40-70 lbs. They mature at 6 months, female gestation is approximately 5 months and they usually produce 1-3 offspring at a time.

West Palm Beach, FL - Lion Country Safari staff members will strike big while raising money for rhino conservation organizations. On June 25, animal keepers and other participants will sponsor a bowling fundraiser to promote awareness and funds in support of Earth's second largest land animal, the rhinoceros. The event will be held Thursday, June 25, 2009 from 7pm to 9pm at the Palm Beach Strike Zone in Boynton Beach. 

The three organizations that will receive the benefit of the Bowling for Rhinos fundraiser are: Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya, home to black and white rhinos; Ujung Kulon National Park in Java, Indonesia, home to the last Javan rhinos on earth; and Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park in Sumatra, Indonesia, where one of the largest populations of Sumatran rhinos live.  One hundred percent of all donated funds from Bowling for Rhinos go directly to these three conservation organizations.

The Bowling for Rhinos fundraiser has been held annually since 1990 by the national American Association of Zoo Keepers (AAZK) organization, raising over $3,000,000 for rhinos entirely through volunteer efforts.  AAZK was formed in 1967 and offers zoo professionals the opportunity to work for the betterment of animal care through its Conservation, Preservation and Restoration Committee and its Environmental Enrichment Committee.  The Association also offers grants to keepers interested in husbandry, field or reproductive research.

Guests of Lion Country Safari can do their part to help AAZK's animal efforts by participating in this year's bowling fundraiser.  Anyone can purchase tickets for $20 each prior to the event from the Bowling for Rhinos coordinator, Sean Mallee; phone number 561-793-1084 x 127.  Tickets at the door are $25 each. The ticket cost covers admission to the event (2 hours of bowling, shoe rental, pizza, and soda) and a $10 donation to the "Bowling for Rhinos" fund.  In addition, participants are encouraged to find sponsorship money to increase individual donations made to the "Bowling for Rhinos" fund.  Ask for your sponsorship form when you purchase your ticket prior to the event.  On the night of the event, prizes will be awarded to participants who collected the highest amounts of sponsorship money!  You can also help the local AAZK chapter by recycling a cell phone at the admissions booth at Lion Country Safari. The cell phones are donated to and recycled by ECO-CELL. Learn more at www.eco-cell.org. With each cell phone donated, guests will receive an animal feeding coupon to use inside Lion Country Safari's Safari World walk-through park.

West Palm Beach, FL - Early in the morning on May 21st, a male giraffe was born in the maternity pen at Lion Country Safari. The baby was a healthy six feet, one hundred fifty-four pounds at birth.  Mom and baby will be segregated from the herd in the maternity pen to allow bonding time, but both are visible in the drive-through preserve (section 7, Hwange National Park) or from the giraffe feeding exhibit at Lion Country Safari.

Female giraffe reproduce year-round beginning at about four years of age. Their conception peak is usually during the rainy season and their gestation lasts approximately fifteen months. Giraffe calves are born while the mother is in a standing position and they drop to the ground head first. Life expectancy of a giraffe is twenty-five years.

A naming contest, hosted by PBPULSE.com will begin soon, to come up with a fitting name for the baby.  In nearly three months, he will join the remainder of the giraffe herd at Lion Country Safari.

West Palm Beach, FL - It's a Conservation Celebration at Lion Country Safari's "PARTY FOR THE PLANET" April 18 and 19, 2009 from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Is your family wildlife friendly? Head to Lion Country Safari on April 18 & 19, 2009 and celebrate the wonders of our planet. Learn how simple conservation efforts can make a remarkable difference to wildlife in your own backyard and beyond. At the 'Party for the Planet,' we'll showcase our animals and their habitats and educate folks about how actions we take in our own neighborhoods affect the environment where these animals make their homes.

From 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., guests will be able to make crafts to take home and to vote for their favorite art work at the staff second annual environmental art exhibit. The art show is sponsored by Lion Country Safari's chapter of the American Association of Zoo Keepers (AAZK). Proceeds from the art show will go to the animal/conservation charity of the winning artist's choice.

Lion Country Safari's "Party for the Planet" is part of the Association of Zoos and Aquarium's "Conservation Made Simple" public education campaign that encourages families to learn about and conserve the planet. "Conservation Made Simple" aims to help people understand that from the air we breathe to the food we eat, people and animals all depend on the Earth for survival.

Media welcome to cover event; check in at main office first please.

West Palm Beach - Lion Country Safari is ranked third on a list of the top 10 zoos in America. The list was published by the USA Travel Guide, a tourism based website www.wrsol.com.

The overview of Lion Country Safari notes "Moving into the altogether different realm of Safari parks, Lion Country Safari near West Palm Beach, Florida is the nation's original open-road animal attraction, and arguably it's still the best."  Park officials and staff at Lion Country Safari (from the wildlife team to the landscaping team) are excited at the honor. Included in the rankings are the Columbus Zoo, San Diego Zoo and Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Lion Country Safari opened in the Summer of 1967 in rural Western Palm Beach County with dozens of free-roaming lions and a few other species.  The drive-through safari park was the first cageless zoo in the country, introducing a new concept in zoology and establishing Lion Country Safari as a leader in the conservation community. 

The four-mile drive-through preserve is still very popular in its display of large free-roaming herds, including the largest herd of zebra in the country. The safari park is accredited by Association of Zoos and Aquariums, America's leading accrediting organization that sets rigorous, professional standards for zoos and aquariums.  Lion Country Safari also has the fifty-five acre Safari World entertainment area (with encounters, rides and exhibits) and a 233-site KOA campground. There are also five stores, four food outlets, a veterinary hospital, an animal demonstration theater, a summer day camp, a gas station, and 180 employees who care for the animals and maintain and operate the facility.

Lion Country Safari sees approximately 500,000 visitors annually, and is widely recognized as South Florida's premier family attraction and Palm Beach County's largest attraction.  Lion Country Safari is indeed World Famous, and has greeted such notable visitors as Rod Stewart, Ricky Martin, Jack Paar, Deion Sanders, Jason Taylor, Cody Ross, Scotty Pippen, David Hasslehoff, Alan Jackson, members of the Kennedy and Trump families, Pet Psychic/Sonya Fitzpatrick, tennis champs Venus and Serena Williams, and Jordan's King Hussein. Lion Country Safari has also been featured on Travel Channel's "Secrets", National Geographic, E!, Animal Planet, TBS, Univision's "Control", "Que Pasa Palm Beach", Telemundo, Miami's WJAN, Channel 41's "Que Pasa South Florida" and many others.

West Palm Beach-FL - Lion Country Safari's newest BIG addition, a ninety-five pound female Southern White Rhinoceros calf is now on display in the rhino maternity area of the drive-through safari.

The baby, named Jazi (meaning gift in Swahili), was born on evening of December 9th to mom Taraja after 16 months of gestation. Mom and baby will remain in the rhino calving pen for approximately three months, to give them plenty of bonding time and to protect them from other animals.  After that, they will roam freely in Lion Country Safari's Hwange National Park with the other White Rhinos, including dad Ronnie.

What:  Santa Claus arrives at Lion Country Safari on Thursday, Dec. 18th to deliver presents to the chimps. His boat/sleigh will be loaded with treats of all kinds including stuffed animals, clothes, snacks, etc. This is the only opportunity throughout the entire year that guests can get out of their vehicles to watch the chimps receive gifts.
When:  Guests are encouraged to arrive by 9:30am to allow travel time to chimp islands. The event begins promptly at 10:30am. Admission required.
Where:  Lion Country Safari chimps islands (final section of the drive-through preserve)
Who:  Lion Country Safari Chimps

"The chimpanzees are as excited as you or I about receiving their Christmas presents," says Wildlife Director Terry Wolf, who has worked most closely with Lion Country Safari's chimps.  "The fact that they are such highly intelligent primates makes it necessary for us to always go that extra mile to provide them with highly stimulating environmental enrichments.  This is a benefit for the staff and chimps, kind of like Macy's traditional Thanksgiving Day Parade, Lion Country Safari's annual Christmas with the Chimps is our traditional kick-off of the holiday season.  This is one of those enrichments that both chimps and humans particularly enjoy," says Wolf.

The presents are provided and wrapped by ChimpanZoo volunteers at Lion Country Safari. ChimpanZoo is a program developed by renowned chimpanzee expert Jane Goodall for the research, enrichment and education of captive chimpanzees.

West Palm Beach, FL - Lion Country Safari has two new healthy baby giraffe in the drive-through preserve.  Mid afternoon on November 14th a male calf (named Jumanji) was born and in the early morning of November 17th a female calf (named Kenya) was born. Both babies were just under six feet tall and weighed approximately 130lb each.

Female giraffe reproduce year-round beginning at about 4 years of age. Their conception peak is usually during the rainy season and their gestation lasts approximately 15 months. Giraffe calves are born while the mother is in a standing position and they drop to the ground head first. Life expectancy of a giraffe is 25 years.

West Palm Beach, FL - Lion Country Safari staff members strike big while raising money for rhino conservation organizations. On June 28, nearly 20 employees bowled at Greenacres Bowl to raise $854 for rhinos. In addition, a ten-year-old summer camper at Lion Country Safari, Jaycie Cohen, generously donated over one hundred dollars.

The three organizations that will receive the benefit of the Bowling for Rhinos fundraiser are: Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya, home to black and white rhinos; Ujung Kulon National Park in Java, Indonesia, home to the last Javan rhinos on earth; and Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park in Sumatra, Indonesia, where one of the largest populations of Sumatran rhinos live. One-hundred percent of all donated funds from Bowling for Rhinos go directly to these three conservation organizations.

The Bowling for Rhinos fundraiser has been held annually since 1990 by the 71-chapter strong American Association of Zoo Keepers (AAZK) organization, raising over $1,000,000 for Rhinos entirely through volunteer efforts. AAZK was formed in 1967 and offers zoo professionals the opportunity to work for the betterment of animal care through its Conservation, Preservation and Restoration Committee and its Environmental Enrichment Committee. The Association also offers grants to keepers interested in husbandry, field or reproductive research.

Guests of Lion Country Safari can do their part to help AAZK's animal efforts by donating a cell phone at the front office. The cell phones are donated to and recycled by ECO-CELL. Learn more at www.eco-cell.org. Guests will get a discount coupon for Lion Country Safari admission with each cell phone donation.

West Palm Beach, FL - On Saturday, June 28th, as Lion Country Safari closed, a 173-pound, six-foot tall female giraffe calf was born in the Hwange National Park area of the drive through preserve.

Less than an hour after the unique birth, the baby was standing. Giraffe calves are born while the mother is in a standing position and they drop to the ground head first.

The calf will be named by Lion Country Safari's summer day campers. This is the second calf for mom, Pammella and paternity tests have been administered to determine the father.

Female giraffe reproduce year-round beginning at about 4 years of age. Their conception peak is usually during the rainy season and their gestation lasts approximately 15 months. Life expectancy of a giraffe is 25 years.

This healthy new addition will join nearly 900 resident animals at Lion Country Safari, America's first cageless zoo. The baby is segregated from the herd to allow bonding time with her mother in the maternity pen, but, she and mom are visible in the drive-through preserve (section 7, Hwange National Park) or from the giraffe feeding exhibit at Lion Country Safari.

West Palm Beach, FL - Lion Country Safari, America's 1st cageless zoo, will celebrate the annual Christmas with the Chimps on December 20, 2007 beginning at 10:30am.

What: Santa Claus arrives at Lion Country Safari on Thursday, Dec. 20th to deliver presents to the chimps. His boat/sleigh will be loaded with treats of all kinds including stuffed animals, clothes, snacks, etc. This is the only opportunity throughout the entire year that guests can get out of their vehicles to watch the chimps receive gifts.

When: Guests are encouraged to arrive by 9:30am to allow travel time to chimp islands. The event begins promptly at 10:30am. Admission required.
Where: Lion Country Safari chimps islands (final section of the drive-through preserve)
Who: Lion Country Safari Chimps

"The chimpanzees are as excited as you or I about receiving their Christmas presents," says Wildlife Director Terry Wolf, who has worked most closely with Lion Country Safari's chimps. "The fact that they are such highly intelligent primates makes it necessary for us to always go that extra mile to provide them with highly stimulating environmental enrichments. This is a benefit for the staff and chimps, kind of like Macy's traditional Thanksgiving Day Parade, Lion Country Safari's annual Christmas with the Chimps is our traditional kick-off of the holiday season. This is one of those enrichments that both chimps and humans particularly enjoy," says Wolf.

The presents are provided and wrapped by ChimpanZoo volunteers at Lion Country Safari. ChimpanZoo is a program developed by renowned chimpanzee expert Jane Goodall for the research, enrichment and education of captive chimpanzees.

West Palm Beach - Lion Country Safari will host a morning event, November 16th inviting local dignitaries, attractions, hoteliers and other area guests to celebrate the park's 40th anniversary.

The festivities, held at the park's new pavilion, will include breakfast (8:30am-9:30am), a cake cutting ceremony (9:30am-9:45am) with singing by HL Johnson Elementary students and a VIP tour of the drive-through preserve (10am-11am).

Lion Country Safari opened in the summer of 1967 in rural Western Palm Beach County with dozens of free-roaming lions and a few other species. The drive-through safari park was the first cageless zoo in the country, introducing a new concept in zoology and establishing Lion Country Safari as a leader in the conservation community.

Lion Country Safari was originally developed by a group of South African and British entrepreneurs who wanted to bring the experience of an African game park - then and now, an expensive and time-consuming trip - to families who would otherwise not be able to experience an African safari. South Florida's Western Palm Beach County proved to be an ideal location for the park due to its year-round tropical climate, plentiful land, a growing population and tourists who visit from all over the world. The opening generated enormous interest on the part of residents, national media and tourists to South Florida. Opening day saw cars lined up for several miles from the entrance, and during the first full year of operation over 800,000 people visited Lion Country Safari.

To encourage repeat tourist and resident visitation, Lion Country Safari soon reduced its number of lions, and added a greater variety of species. Today, Lion Country Safari is home to over 800 animals of eighty species. Among the more notable species on display at the park are lions, white rhino, chimpanzees, zebra and giraffe.

Safari World, the tranquil, walk-through entertainment area of the park, has been developed and improved since the park opened. The restaurant and gift shops were among the earlier additions. The petting zoo, carousel, pontoon boat tour, paddle boat rides, aviaries, and alligator and squirrel monkey exhibits, added over the years, have greatly enhanced the visitors' experience at the park.

In November 1983, Lion Country Safari opened its KOA campground on-site. Today, the 233-site KOA campground features sites for both RVs and tents as well as four air-conditioned cabins, and enjoys a brisk business year-round. Campers are often surprised to hear the roar of the nearby lions in the early morning hours.

In 1984, Lion Country Safari became a founding member of Jane Goodall's International Chimpanzoo program and in 1994 hosted the Annual Chimpanzoo Conference. Chimpanzoo volunteers observe Lion Country Safari's resident chimps and record their behaviors. Very important information has been added to the limited but growing body of knowledge about chimps through our participation in this program. Since chimpanzees are genetically the closest relative of humans, it follows that we will gain important information about our own species through the efforts of the Chimpanzoo program.

Along with its nine hundred resident animals, Safari World entertainment area and 233-site KOA campground, Lion Country Safari encompasses 4 miles of drive-though preserve, 5 stores, 3 food outlets, a sewer plant, a veterinary hospital, an animal demonstration theater, a summer day camp, a gas station, and 170 employees who care for the animals and maintain and operate the facility.

In 2006, Lion Country Safari underwent a major expansion extending the walk through from 38 acres to 55 acres. A giraffe feeding exhibit, 55-foot Ferris wheel, 23-feature water spray ground and 5,000-square-foot pavilion to host large groups were all part of the expansion. In 2007, the park opened a giant inflatable wet-dry slide for guests to enjoy.

Today, Lion Country Safari sees approximately 500,000 visitors annually, and is widely recognized as South Florida's premier family attraction and Palm Beach County's largest attraction. Lion Country Safari is indeed World Famous, and has greeted such notable visitors as Rod Stewart, Ricky Martin, Jack Paar, Deion Sanders, Jason Taylor, Scotty Pippen, David Hasslehoff, Alan Jackson, members of the Kennedy and Trump families, Pet Psychic/Sonya Fitzpatrick, tennis champs Venus and Serena Williams, and Jordan's King Hussein. Lion Country Safari has also been featured on Travel Channel's "Secrets", National Geographic, E!, Animal Planet, TBS, Univision's "Control", "Que Pasa Palm Beach", Miami's WJAN, Channel 41's "Que Pasa South Florida" and many others.

Lion Country Safari is open daily rain or shine.

Loxahatchee, FL - Lion Country Safari will host more than 500 elementary students from West Riviera Elementary School (WRES) on September 4th, 2007 in an effort to get students excited for the Safari through Africa Reading Counts Program.

While at Lion Country Safari, students will be provided educational programs including field observations at the chimp islands, animal adaptations and a habitat program. In addition to the great learning opportunity, Lion Country Safari is the perfect fit for this field trip since WRES is infusing Afro centric curriculum throughout the school. Each classroom is studying a different country in Africa and designing their classroom to depict their African country.

Lion Country Safari accommodates close to 12,000 school students each year for educational and adventurous field trips. The safari park is also a business sponsor/partner to a number of local elementary schools.

Lion Country Safari offers two parks for one low price: an exciting drive-through safari, and a walk-through amusement park. The drive-through safari is home to over 900 animals roaming free just inches from your car. In the tranquil walk-through park guests can enjoy the animal exhibits and encounters, rides, games, food, shopping and more. Lion Country Safari is located in western West Palm Beach and is open daily from 9:30am to 5:30pm.

West Palm Beach, FL - A male zebra foal was born Friday, March 2nd in the Hwange National Park preserve at Lion Country Safari. The foal was born overnight and keepers found the new baby with its mother during opening rounds.

Lion Country Safari is home to the largest herd of zebras in the world (beyond the wild herds in Africa). Eighty zebras roam free on over sixty acres in their habitat at Lion Country Safari's drive through preserve. Breeding has been intentionally restricted in the herd as part of a planned population control and this foal is the first to be raised within the herd in four years. Zebra foals rapidly imprint on the smell, stripe pattern and sounds of their mothers and will stay very close to her side, often within touching distance, for many months. Foals nurse many times throughout the day and will start to graze on grass and hay within the first few weeks of life. Mares have a very strong bond with their foals, are very protective of them, and will readily defend them from any animal that gets too close. Although zebra foals are quick on their feet shortly after birth, in the wild they are very vulnerable to African predators such as lions, leopards, hyenas, cheetahs and wild dogs.

The common zebra Equus burchelli, stands approximately 45 inches tall and weighs between 400-850 pounds. Males are larger than females and there is much variation in their stripe patterns. No two zebras have the same stripe patterns. Lion Country Safari maintains a photo identification system to identify each zebra in its collection.

Lion Country Safari is dedicated to the captive breeding of a number of rare or endangered species and is proud to participate in the American Zoo and Aquarium Association's (AZA) Species Survival plan. This conservation program helps to ensure the survival of selected wildlife species and Lion Country Safari has had much success in breeding zebras and many other species as well.

Zebras can reproduce year round with a peak during the rainy season. Gestation is between 360-396 days.

West Palm Beach, FL - Mort, a 27-year-old male giraffe, died on Saturday, December 30, 2006 at Lion Country Safari.
Preliminary indications are that Mort died of old age. Lion Country Safari Veterinary staff is awaiting lab results for confirmation. On Saturday morning, zoo staff observed Mort sitting down, seemingly comfortably, but his condition declined to critical by early afternoon. After great efforts to help Mort recover, with heavy hearts, staff made the decision to euthanize him.

Prior to his death, Mort was the oldest living male giraffe in North America. According to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums studbook, he was the third oldest of 555 males that have died in North America zoos to date and the seventh oldest out of 1554 males that have died in zoos worldwide. Mort outlived 99.5% of all other captive male giraffes on record.

Mort was hand-raised at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo in 1979 and came to live at Lion Country Safari in 1981. He spent most of his last two years in the giraffe feeding exhibit at Lion Country Safari where his good nature was on display to thousands of visitors young and old. He was a favorite animal of many Lion Country Safari staff members and will be sadly missed, but fondly remembered by all.

Mort was featured on numerous national TV networks including Animal Planet (Pet Psychic and Donny Osmond's Animal Adventures), Travel Channel (World's Richest RV Parks), FOX (Just Like You), National Geographic, Telemundo, Univision, TBS and more.

Currently, Lion Country Safari is home to eighteen giraffes and has had many successful births over the years. The majority of the herd roams among the visitors' cars in the 22-acre final section of the drive-through preserve, called Hwange National Park. The remainder of the herd is exhibited in the giraffe feeding area at Lion Country Safari's walk-through park, where guests are able to get up-close-and-personal with these majestic animals.