After 50 Years, Lion Country Safari Will Soon Have A New Owner

After 50 years as one of South Florida’s most-visited tourist attractions, Lion Country Safari will soon have a new owner.

Marcella Leone, founder and director of the Leo Zoological Conservation Center in Greenwich, Conn., has agreed to purchase the cageless preserve located in Western Palm Beach County.

The zoological center is a non-profit conservation with a focus on breeding at-risk species. 

"Lion Country Safari will continue to operate as one of Palm Beach County’s premier attractions and we look forward to exciting opportunities for growth in the near future," the safari stated in a press release.

The preserve opened in 1967 as the first "cageles zoo" in the U.S. by a group of South African and British entrepreneurs who wanted to bring the experience of an African game park to South Florida.

The safari is now home to hundreds of animals including lions, white rhino, chimpanzees, zebras, and more.

Park officials say more details will be released when the transaction will be finalized in the third quarter of 2017.

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