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| Rhinos are kept at a safer distance from park visitors than the now-defunct Lion Country Safari |
One summer, over 30 years ago, my Volkswagen bug had a rendezvous with a rhinoceros. Lion Country Safari, south of Los Angeles, had been advertised as a place where one could get close, very close, to nature. We drove through the gate, which shut behind us, and there was no turning back. The single-lane paved road meandered through rolling grassland, where lions, tigers, and buffalo roamed free. Fences kept the cars separate from the animals and the herbivores from the carnivores.
But the chief attraction of Lion Country Safari was the section where the fences were down. I felt a city-dweller’s thrill knowing that there were no barriers between us and the ostrich, which looked fiercer than the amusing creatures depicted in Disney’s Fantasia. We drove by a herd of rhinoceros, which were walking peaceably on the grass. Suddenly they turned and charged, alarmingly, in our direction. The park ranger pulled up in her jeep and emptied bags of food on the road, a mere 10 feet away. Amidst furious grunts and snorts, the rhinoceros jostled for position. We could feel the vibrations through the Volkswagen walls, which seemed like tissue paper compared to the thick hides of the massive creatures. Our path was blocked in both directions, so I turned off the engine in a vain effort to be inconspicuous.
While the rhinos fed, one would periodically raise its head and look at us. We slid lower in our seat, as if that would make any difference. After an interminable fifteen minutes, the herd, satiated, began to break up. I switched on the engine and crept along in first gear. Picking up speed, we left the rhino enclosure and only glanced at the lions and tigers. I had had enough nature that day.
When Lion Country Safari closed in the 1980’s, the San Diego Zoo took over custody of the animals and created Wild Animal Park, inland and north of San Diego. Two weeks ago, we spent a day at Wild Animal Park, where the animals have the space to run free but have much less contact with humans. At least this time I didn't have to worry about the thickness of the car's walls.
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| Cape Buffalo have a generous allotment of the Park's 1800 acres. |
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| Friendly Larakeet searches for nectar. |
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| California Condor |
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| Flamingos |
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