Longleat to celebrate 50th anniversary

Longleat Safari Park are celebrating their 50th anniversary this year. First opened in 1966, Longleat famously became the first drive-through safari park outside of Africa.

It was considered the ‘beginning of a revolution in zoological collections’. For the first time, visitors were able to see animals move freely across hundreds of acres of land and act as naturally with each other as they would in the wild. When the local public of Wiltshire heard of the proposed plans to build a 100-acre lion reserve, it caused an uproar. It was even questioned in the Houses of Parliament as to whether the idea was feasible.

However, over forty years on, Longleat Safari Park remains one of the UK’s leading wildlife attractions.

#longleat #wildlife #lions #celebration #safaripark