Ramat Gan Safari

The largest collection of wildlife in human care in the Middle East, the Ramat Gan Safari combines a drive-through African safari area with a modern outdoor zoo on a 250-acre site in Ramat Gan, in Israel's Tel Aviv District. Its official name is the Zoological Center Tel Aviv-Ramat Gan.

The collection includes 83 species of mammals, 92 species of birds and 23 species of reptiles, kept in open-air enclosures among subtropical gardens. Among the animals are white rhinos, hippos, lions, African and Asian elephants, chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans and a Komodo dragon.

The African animal park opened to the public in 1974. In 1981 a zoo was established in the middle of the park to replace the Tel Aviv Zoo, which had closed. The center has sent animals to the Qalqilya Zoo in the West Bank and maintains close ties with veterinarians in the Palestinian Authority. It draws more than 700,000 visitors a year.