What) Lion Country Safari is a drive-through safari park that consists of over 1,000 animals kept in large fenced areas with approximately 5 miles of paved roadway running throughout. Visitors who purchase a ticket enter the park in their own vehicle, driving slowly at their own pace, and view the animals while listening to a recorded narration on audiotape or CD. Some animals, such as giraffes, rhinoceroses and zebras, are allowed to roam freely, even crossing the road in front of vehicles. Others, such as lions or chimpanzees, are segregated behind fences or water barriers. Visitors are warned to drive slowly and carefully, to avoid stopping too close to animals and not to open their car doors or windows. The lions, whose ability to roam freely with cars was one of the parks original attractions, were separated from visitors by a fence around the road in 2005 due to visitors ignoring warnings and opening their car doors.

    A unique aspect of Lion Country Safari is the chimpanzee exhibit. The chimps live on an island system where they move to a different island every day, replicating their natural nomadic lifestyle. The chimps live in complex social groups, as they would in the wild. Because of this, Lion Country Safari has been useful to those interested in behavioural studies of chimps. As of 2006, chimpanzees living at Lion Country Safari include "Little Mama," one of the oldest chimpanzees in captivity, born in 1938.  Lion Country Safari also serves as a retirement facility for chimpanzees who were once used in research laboratories and for entertainment. (1)

    Where) 2003 Lion Country Safari Road  Open daily from 930-430   Adults $26.50   1-561-793-1084 

    Why) This is the second Pam Buckys in the area that she decided to visit.  In case you were wondering, Pam decided to skip the Manatee Observation and Education Center in Fort Pierce, the Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden in Coral Gables and the Monkey Jungle in Miami.