Longleat Safari and Adventure Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Longleat Safari Park |
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Longleat Safari Park's lion reserve, with a warning sign
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| Type | Safari park |
| Location | Wiltshire |
| Nearest city | Warminster |
| OS grid | ST818434 |
| Area | 9,000 acres (36.42 km2) |
| Created | 1966 |
| Visitors | 904,714 (in 2018) |
| Camp sites | Yes |
Longleat Safari and Adventure Park in Wiltshire, England, was opened in 1966 as the first drive-through safari park outside Africa.
Contents
History
The park is situated in the grounds of Longleat House, an English stately home which is open to the public and was the home of the 7th Marquess of Bath. Longleat Safari Park and the concept of safari parks were the brainchild of Jimmy Chipperfield (1912–1990), former co-director of Chipperfield's Circus.
Description
Longleat house and grounds
Opened to the public in 1949, the ancestral home of the Marquess of Bath remains a popular attraction with visitors. Visitors can join one of the many regular house tours or simply walk about at their leisure. They may also explore the gardens surrounding the house and visit a number of cafés within the grounds. A separate ticket is sold for visitors who only wish to visit the house and gardens.
Safari Park
East African Reserve
The East African Reserve, which contains Rothschild giraffes, Grant's zebras, ostriches Black wildebeest, Brazilian Tapir, African spurred tortoise, ring tailed lemurs and pygmy goats, extends to 60 acres (24 ha).
Jungle Cruise
The Jungle Cruise (known as the Safari Boat until 2011) is a short trip around Half Mile Lake. The journey takes visitors past the Island, which was a former home to the elderly male western lowland gorilla Nico, the oldest gorilla in Europe, until his death aged 56 on 7 January 2018 and is now home to Black-and-white colobus monkeys.
Monkey Temple
Opened in 2012, the centrepiece of this attraction is a large themed ruin with long rope walkways running across the paths, which allows visitors to safely interact with a variety of marmosets and tamarins.
Elsewhere in this area is an enclosure containing a family of red pandas. The breeding pair, named Ajendra and Rufina, have given birth to three cubs since 2015.
Giant Otters and Crocodiles
Branching off from Monkey Temple, this attraction opened in 2019. Previously the enclosure was home to a colony of captive-bred Humboldt penguins which were first displayed in 2013, however there were several outbreaks of avian malaria in September 2016 and December 2018.
Animal Adventure
Containing many animals previously kept in Pets' Corner, this area which contains many exotic and familiar mammals, birds, reptiles and insects opened in 2009.
Longleat Railway
Established in 1965 and expanded in 1976, this 15 in (381 mm) gauge ridable miniature railway is among the busiest in the country. It has a length of one and a quarter miles (2 km) through scenic woodland and along the edge of Half Mile Lake. The line has taken several different courses across the years, but the route along the lake has remained consistent. After opening the railway was originally run by outside company Minirail on a ten-year contract, which was not renewed due to disagreements between the two companies. Following this, Longleat took over running the railway in 1976. Many engines have run on the railway over the years, both steam and diesel; as of 2018 the railway owns three diesel locomotives. The railway also has 15 carriages, all built at Longleat between 1976 and 2013 and wearing mock British Railways crimson and cream livery, along with several permanent way wagons. Between 2011 and 2017 the railway was known as the Jungle Express, with the station and carriages given additional theming.
Current locomotives
| Number | Name | Wheel arrangement | Builders | Year built | Livery | Notes |
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| 5 | Ceawlin | 0-8-2DH | Severn Lamb | 1975 | GWR Green |
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| 7 | Flynn | 0-6-0DM | Alan Keef | 2007 | Crimson |
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| 8 | John Thynn | Bo-Bo | Alan Keef | 2018 | Crimson |
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Former locomotives
| Number | Name | Wheel arrangement | Builders | Year built | Livery | Notes |
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| 1 | Lenka | 4+4wDH | Severn Lamb | 1973 | Maroon |
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| 3 | Dougal | 0-6-2T | Severn Lamb | 1970 | Crimson |
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| 4 | Lenka | 4+4wDH | Longleat Railway | 1984 | BR Crimson & Cream |
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| 6 | John Hayton | 0-6-2T | Exmoor Steam Railway | 2004 | Crimson |
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In the media
- The Lions of Longleat - A 1967 BBC One documentary about the newly opened safari park with commentary by Lord Bath and Jimmy Chipperfield.
- Lion Country - 55-part documentary series broadcast on BBC One in 1998.
- Animal Park is a series airing on the BBC starting in 2000 it is presented by Kate Humble & Ben Fogle, Paul Heiney and Jean Johansson. With two spin offs Animal Park: Wild in Africa in 2005. and 'Animal Park: Wild on the West Coast in 2007.
