PETA Says Six Flags Missed Opportunity to Do the Right Thing at Wild Safari

Jackson–Not everyone is happy with Great Adventure’s new plans for their off-road Wild Safari attraction  in Ocean County.

Last week, Ashley Byrne, a campaign manager for People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) expressed optimism when Six Flags announced the end of publicly driven automobiles through the nation’s largest animal amusement park safari, the Six Flags Wild Safari, in Jackson.

“It’s about time they stopped subjecting the animals to the exhaust of automobiles, but short of a closure and returning returning the animals to more suitable sanctuaries, I’m afraid it’s not enough,” Byrne said.

Byrne said her group has also raised concerns over the unsupervised access vehicles currently have in the park.

This week, Six Flags announced their plans for the future, which would turn the drive through safari into an off-road guided tour experience, offering park patrons rides in vehicles where skilled, informed drivers will drive guests off-road and up close to the animals as they splash through ponds, climb hills, cross bridges and venture over rugged terrain.

Virginia Fort, also with PETA, says the new solution is not an acceptable alternative.  ”Six Flags ignored the chance to follow the lead of other amusement park companies to offer an attraction that does not involve live animals such as the Disney’s Jungle Cruise and Walking With Dinosaurs,” she said.

In those attractions, instead of live animals, animatronics are used.   “The Wild Safari is not a representation of animals in their natural habitat.  They are confined to an area smaller than they would encounter in the wild,” Fort said. “If families want to experience these animals in their natural habitat, the best way is to watch a documentary on television.”

“What is going on here is exploitation of the animals for profit,” she said.

Posted by Ocean County News on Sep 2 2012. Filed under Community, Jackson, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.