(KRON) — A beloved Sonoma County wildlife park that’s been welcoming guests for more than 30 years and survived the deadly Tubbs Fire is undergoing a major change in the coming months. Safari West located in Santa Rosa will be transitioning to a nonprofit after 35 years as a privately operated wildlife preserve.
Despite a filing with the Employment Development Department stating the park is closing, Safari West is set to remain open as a California nonprofit public benefit corporation. The transition, according to a press release, will “strengthen Safari West’s mission in Research, Education and Conservation.”
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“Safari West has always been about more than visiting animals,” said park founder Dr. Nancy Lang. “It is about caring for them, learning from them and protecting the natural world we share. By moving forward under nonprofit stewardship, we are strengthening the foundation that will allow Safari West to serve wildlife and our community for generations to come.
Known as the “Sonoma Serengeti,” Safari West was founded in 1993 in the Sonoma County hills. The preserve is home to more than 900 animals, including giraffes, rhinos, lemurs, cheetahs, monkeys, and flamingos.
The 400-acre preserve also notably survived the devastating 2017 Tubbs Fire. As the month-long fire raged, destroying homes, businesses and costing at least 22 people their lives, Safari West founder Peter Lang stayed behind to defend the preserve — and the animals that lived there — with a collection of garden hoses…