For thousands of years, humans have been interested in viewing and studying exotic animals—animals not native to their region. In ancient Egypt, Hierakonpolis had a zoo by about 3500 BCE. Among the animals kept at this zoo were baboons, hippos, elephants.
Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon, is a 600-acre drive-through zoological park featuring exotic animals roaming freely in natural surroundings. Their website describes the facility this way:
Wildlife Safari is a fun-filled family destination where you can view over 500 animals in their natural habitat roaming freely much as they do in the wild! Visitors to the park drive through a 4.5 mile trek to see animals from Africa, Asia and the America’s. This unique setting offers many opportunities to get up close and personal with animals large and small.
Their statement of purpose:
Wildlife Safari is dedicated to conservation, education and research of native and exotic wildlife. It is our commitment to educate the public about the status of animals around the world.
What follows are simply some pictures of the animals taken on a recent drive through the park.