Pictures: Longleat Safari Park celebrates 50 years
- Published
Longleat Safari Park opened in 1966 and was the first safari to open outside of Africa. It changed the way animals were kept in zoos. For the first time they were able to live in large enclosures and interact more naturally with each other. (Longleat Safari Park)
Henry Lord Bath came up with the idea of a safari park where people could drive through a pride of lions in their own cars. He was personally on hand to greet motorists and collect entry fees on the first day it opened. (Longleat Safari Park)
When the safari park first opened, people were very worried about how safe it was to have big cats running wild in the countryside. (Longleat Safari Park)
Despite these worries, the idea of a drive-through wildlife park proved popular with visitors. (Longleat Safari Park)
The park has now been running for 50 years and millions of people have visited it in that time. (Longleat Safari Park)
As well as big cats, the safari now has lots of different types of animals like gorillas, giraffes and this ring-tailed lemur. (Longleat Safari Park)
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