Description of the attraction
The Safari Zoological Center, covering over 100 hectares in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv, is the largest zoo in the Middle East. It contains 1600 animals from all over the world, including 68 species of mammals, 130 species of birds and 25 species of reptiles. The word "safari" in the name indicates the type of park - animals are not in cages, but, as it were, at large, in large fenced areas. Through the window glass of the car, tourists observe the behavior of wild animals in conditions close to their natural habitat.
It's an exhilarating ride. The two-lane road winds through open space that mimics the African savannah. Visitors travel in their own cars or on a tourist train. During the trip, you can see rhinos, wildebeest, oryx, pink flamingos … All the cars have stopped and are waiting: the hippos are slowly crossing the road. Some animals ignore passing cars, and some come closer. In no case should you open the windows - if only because insolent ostriches-beggars and zebras strive to stick their heads into the car.
But then a double gate appears in front of the line of cars. Warning inscriptions on numerous shields read: “Lions are dangerous! Don't leave the car! This section of the path always excites visitors the most: live lions, a whole pride, pacing around! True, mostly wise animals turn their backs to the cars or simply look from afar, wallowing in the sun.
The most daring tourists come on night excursions - everything is the same, only in the dark, among rustles and growls. You can also visit the park in the early morning - a special excursion provides the opportunity to feed the giraffes.
The idea of creating a safari park in Israel originated in the early 1950s with the then mayor of Ramat Gan. An expedition was sent to Africa, which returned with the first animals (including the first local elephant). The newcomers from Africa have perfectly settled into the Israeli climate. The Safari Park was opened in 1974, and the old Tel Aviv Zoo moved here in 1980 - before that it was located on a small territory in a residential area and no longer met modern requirements. Animals from the old zoo are housed separately from the "savannah", in spacious open-air cages, between which visitors can safely walk.
Now elephants, gorillas, chimpanzees, baboons, white rhinos, cockatoos, marabou, anteaters, penguins, lemurs live here. The zoological center breeds endangered animals (for example, sand cats), and in 2005 opened a wildlife hospital. It treats more than 2 thousand wild animals annually. Local veterinarians now connect the broken shell of a marsh turtle, then rescue a pregnant gazelle hit by a car, or replace the broken bones of the burial eagle wing with platinum prostheses. Usually, cured patients are released back into the wild, but some have to be left behind. They take root very well: for example, a wounded she-wolf, who had to amputate her paw, became the dominant female in the zoo pack.
