Originally Posted by
l'etoile
I'm asking what is this "park"? Is it really a zoo? What are the conditions the animals live under? Is there anything at all natural about it or is it a place that is staged only as an attraction? Would rolling windows down there be somewhat on par with jumping over a fence at a zoo?
Some answer to my questions:
"The attraction was opened by the Chipperfield Circus in 1966 and is described as a mix of zoo and game reserve with “super close-up animal views guaranteed”. Visitors can board buses with protective grills and tour guides, or drive their own vehicles through spacious enclosures where lions roam freely. Adults and children are commonly seen petting lion cubs in managed pens.
Celebrity visitors have included singers Shakira and John Legend, Brazilian footballer Kaká and actor Natalie Portman. The Lion Park was voted one of the top 100 tourist destinations in the world by Newsweek magazine in 2013."
Animals don't belong in circuses, zoos and "parks". Sad for those animals kept there.
It's not a zoo, but it's also not a game reserve.
A lot of the lions at the park cannot be rehabilitated back into the wild and a lot of them has never been in any other setting than the park. Their relationship to humans are extremely controversial. Most of the adults have been raised by humans and fed by humans.
Think more rescue operation with extremely questionable ethics. As mentioned up thread, several of their lions have been sold to canned hunting outfits.
IMHO, there's nothing natural about the park at all.