![]() ![]() “This will allow us to go into school virtually,” Hornbostel said. Instead of actually romping with beasts, guests can tour the park virtually, something that was already in the works before the pandemic. 12 at the foundation’s annual Romp With the Beasts fundraiser. The timing is good, however, for launching Safari West Live!, which gets an official kick-off Dec. We could take 12 people in a truck (tour) before, now we can do six to 10, socially distanced. We’ve had 40 percent less capacity this year. “The weather has helped, though it’s raining now. “This has not been a fun year,” said Keo Hornbostel, the refuge’s executive director. Thousands of underserved school children typically visit each year when a pandemic isn’t keeping them home.ĬOVID-19 closed Safari West in March, forcing it to furlough 110 employees, though it was back operating in June, with fewer guests and social distancing fully enforced. Visitors come by appointment and reservations are required. It’s a preserve for about 1,000 animals, with guided explorations of large, mixed-species enclosures meant to mimic the wild. Safari West isn’t a theme park into which one just walks. Best known for its “Sonoma Serengeti” tours and stays, the wildlife refuge has started offering “Zoomfaris” to guests. With his future wife Nancy Land, who worked for the San Francisco Zoo, he turned the oak woodland into a wildlife preserve - the “Sonoma Serengeti” as it’s been called. He worked with local zoological foundations to establish captive breeding programs for varied and often endangered species. ![]() Safari West got its start in the late 1980s, when Peter Lang bought 400 acres of former cattle ranch land in the foothills of the Mayacamas Mountains, north of Santa Rosa, as a home for his growing collection of wildlife. “We’re still here, surviving and moving forward, but we’ve got a long road ahead of us. We remained safe, but it was once again another challenge in an already challenging time. “While we have been critically impacted by adapting our business practices in the face of COVID-19, we were also once again, in the midst of another wildfire - the Glass Fire. “The outpouring of generosity and support we’ve seen the past few months has been humbling beyond measure,” Caserta said. Luckily, the refuge’s request for help is being heard. For the owners, it’s been over 25 years since Safari West was founded, and they’ve never faced a challenge quite like this.” “But this year we needed to reach out to let our supporters know Safari West needed help. “We always fundraised for our nonprofit, the Safari West Wildlife Foundation,” said Aphrodite Caserta, the refuge’s marketing director. With Sonoma County wine country becoming fire country the past few years - and COVID-19 closing the wildlife park’s gates for three months - Safari West is raising funds for its operation for the first time in its 27-year existence, while officially launching its new virtual experience, Safari West Live! ![]() Now the exotic animal refuge needs some help of its own. Safari West has been in the business of helping animals for nearly three decades. ![]()
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