A safari park is offering tourists the chance to meet and stroke lions
Sleeping lions… but it’s no game: A safari park is offering tourists the chance to meet and stroke ferocious animals at night – in an area lit only by car headlights
You would have to be wild to try this one.
Taigan Safari Park in Crimea’s Belogorsk town, has launched a series of ‘special events’ which will allow visitors to embark on night-time tours of the grounds, observe the animals in their nocturnal phase and stroke lions.
Visitors will be invited to pet the animals in an area lit only by the headlights of the tour guides car.
Head of the park, Oleg Zubkov, greets the wild lions and strokes them as if they were domestic cats
The evening visits to the 80 acre park are overseen by experienced specialists to ensure visitors are safe
The park, which claims the region has been hit economically after it was annexed by Russia, say they launched the night-time tours as a way of boosting revenue.
The evening visits to the 80 acre park, which is home to more than 50 lions, are overseen by experienced specialists to ensure visitors are safe.
Belogorsk’s park is also home to 1,500 other animals and birds – which can be observed by visitors in the daytime from specially fenced off areas.
Tourists offered chance to stroke lions in the dead of night
Visitors will be invited to pet the animals in an area lit only by the headlights of the tour guides car
Visitors during the night in a safari park that offers to observe the animals in nocturnal phase
The unique excursions take place in special open vehicles which allow the guests to see the dozing animals
On the nocturnal excursions, head of the park, Oleg Zubkov, greets the wild lions and pats them as if they were domestic cats before visitors dare to touch them.
Despite disturbing them at night, a video shows that the cats do no appear to be worried by the guest’s sudden appearance and seem to enjoy being stroked and tickled.
Zubkov, an animal conservationist, said he is delighted by the interest his nocturnal tours have already attracted and he will try to involve as many people as possible in an attempt to draw attention to breeds that are dying out.
Despite disturbing them at night, the cats do no appear to be worried by the guest’s sudden appearance
Earlier this month the park let loose rare white lion and Siberian tiger cubs to play with delighted visitors in a bid to highlight the endangered species.
Staff at the park set up the campaign to raise awareness for the protection of wild animals by giving visitors the chance to hug and pet the adorable cubs.
Park director, Oleg Zubkov, said he hoped that the exposure would discourage people from hunting Siberian tigers and white lions – endangered species with respective global populations of about 500 and 100.
Tiny Siberian tiger and white lion cubs play with children
