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Archive 2017 · Safari West (Northern California)

  
 
Edward Castro
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Safari West (Northern California)


Has anyone visited this wildlife preserve? From all the online reviews they place seems fantastic and I'm planning to stay there with the family to celebrate our 15 year anniversary. I've always wanted to take a real safari, but I doubt I'll ever get to, so this is as close as I'll get. But I was wondering if any fellow FM'ers have been to this place?


Jul 10, 2017 at 09:25 AM
billsamuels
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Safari West (Northern California)


I did last fall for my 50th birthday. Spent the night and did the tour and the whole deal with my wife and teenage son. It was fantastic!!! It was also expensive. I'm I Yellowstone at the moment but if you want to know more, send me a PM and I'll give you my cell and im happy to give you more info. Although expensive, it was a lot cheaper than a trip to Africa and a lot safer without all the shots you have to get. Most of all, it's a photographer's dream if you like wildlife.
Cheers,
Bill



Jul 10, 2017 at 11:17 AM
cohenfive
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Safari West (Northern California)


I'd love to hear about this as well...I'm a local to you Bill. Have fun in YS, was there twice last year.


Jul 10, 2017 at 04:47 PM
jdc562
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Safari West (Northern California)


Safari West is located in Santa Rosa, Northern California. It describes itself as "An authentic African adventure" where you can "see these beautiful animals in their natural habitat" in the "heart of California's wine country." This is a long ways from the habitats of animals native to Sub-Saharan Africa. That should tell you a lot right there. The photos of Safari West show vehicles driving through a park with some species of large mammalian African herbivores, but no predators. (Some cheetahs and hyenas are maintained separately.) Understandable, but "authentic"? Does it deserve the title "wildlife preserve"? Part of the answer depends on how Safari West obtained their animals. This is a critical ethical question asked many times before on FM when FMers recognised posing "wild" animals as the domesticated individuals in the captivity of tourist attractions. If the "preserve" is obtaining their animals from stock captured in Africa, the place is probably the opposite of a "wildlife preserve." For every captured animal that reaches a "preserve" in the U.S., others are maimed and killed in the process of capture, caging, feeding, and transport to the breeders or the trip to the "preserve."

For the sake of the animals and true "wildlife preservation," you should understand the consequences of encouraging such places before you pay them $100's to $1000's to continue their activities. When you ask, "If any fellow FMers have been to this place?" you should also be asking if any FMers would even patronize such a place?



Jul 12, 2017 at 06:03 PM
StephenS_CP
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Safari West (Northern California)


The Serengeti it's not...but if you can manage to factor out the dichotomy of wildebeests and gazelles grazing on the rolling hills of northern California under the shade of California Black Oak then it can provide some worthwhile photographic opportunities.

Thanks for posting. You caused me to look back through the images from my visit in 2011 with an area photo club. [Sorry JDC, some FMers and even some photographic clubs do patronize such a place].

Most of my wild animal photography has been in zoos (San Diego, Wild Animal Park among a few). I probably got most of my best images during my visit to Safari West..better than usual giraffe head shots, cheetah, etc. The best opportunities for me were birds. As usual, strategic positioning and shallow DOF is necessary to minimize the fences and such.



Jul 14, 2017 at 05:09 PM
ChrisAttebery
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Safari West (Northern California)


We stayed there a few years ago. We had fun and the kids enjoyed it. I wasn't into photography then so I can't give you advice there.


Jul 20, 2017 at 04:41 PM
dalite
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Safari West (Northern California)


I LIVE in Santa Rosa but have never visited Safari West. Don't care to. Visit Yellowstone or drive to the Rockies instead.


Jul 23, 2017 at 06:57 PM
billsamuels
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Safari West (Northern California)


jdc562 wrote:
Safari West is located in Santa Rosa, Northern California. It describes itself as "An authentic African adventure" where you can "see these beautiful animals in their natural habitat" in the "heart of California's wine country." This is a long ways from the habitats of animals native to Sub-Saharan Africa. That should tell you a lot right there. The photos of Safari West show vehicles driving through a park with some species of large mammalian African herbivores, but no predators. (Some cheetahs and hyenas are maintained separately.) Understandable, but "authentic"? Does it deserve the title "wildlife preserve"? Part of the answer
...Show more

Okay, I understand what you're saying, but I've belong to the Sierra Club since I was 15 and have participated in a group they have called Inner-City Outings, taking inner-city kids out backpacking for the first time. Why do we do this? Because these kids will be the NEXT generation of VOTERS and they'll be the next generation of BACKPACKERS and people who love the outdoors IF and only if they were taken out of the inner-city and taken outdoors to the wilderness. Hopefully, they'll vote for people who represent preserving the outdoors and Acts that preserve land for outdoor recreation instead of developement.

What does this have to do with Safari West? A lot! Kids are taken here by their parents and experience a little of Africa, learn a lot about these wild animals, and hopefully they will have an interest in helping to preserve these wild animals themselves, and maybe even go to Africa as adults, gaining more energy to support their survival after seeing their home for themselves!!!

And if you read the story on how Safari West got started, it wasn't at all related to doing a show, but rather an international effort to get endangered animals OUT of Africa so that their genetics were safe and preserved in case they became extinct in Africa. All of the animals at Safari West are part of a breeding program, and before they opened it up to the public (never their original intentions), they only opened it up to school field trips. It was when the government cut back on their budget (some anti-outdoorsman got into politics) that they had to find another way to support themselves that they went from just breeding and education to breeding, education, and recreation/education as well.

I'm a hard-core environmentalist, but a realist! Most of the kids that come to this type of place have money because it's expensive to go. Therefore, these are the kids that can be influenced the most to enjoy wildlife and then one day, vote for wildlife. And certainly give donations to help support wildlife, whether it's a donation to Safari West, or to a grass-roots effort in Africa.



Aug 07, 2017 at 01:03 PM





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