LOXAHATCHEE, Fla. — Lion Country Safari, one of Palm Beach County's most popular attractions, will no longer issue or renew annual passes, leaving nearby residents and frequent visitors worried about what changes may be coming next.
The 254-acre wildlife park in Loxahatchee has been a fixture since 1967, but recent developments have raised questions about its future direction.
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Deborah Stefanelli has lived next to the park for eight years and says there's no place like Lion Country Safari.
Stefanelli said she was shocked when she learned about the annual pass changes.
"My heart just sank," Stefanelli said. "On the heels of the campground closing, it was like a kick in the teeth."
In recent months, billionaire Larry Ellison bought the wildlife park and announced the closure of the KOA campground that operated on the property.
Influencer and conservationist Sergei Kelley said he has been tracking the situation and is upset with the park's decision, though not surprised by it.
"It was kind of like just confirming, you know, like not trying to be too irrational, but it's just like all these are lining up, and those reckless developments everywhere in Florida," Kelley said.
When WPTV asked about the annual pass changes, a Lion Country Safari spokesperson provided this statement:
"Lion Country Safari has reached capacity for our annual pass program and passes are currently sold out. The annual pass webpage is temporarily unavailable to reflect this."
Both Stefanelli and Kelley expressed skepticism about that explanation.
"I'm not buying it," Stefanelli said. "I know it's about dollars, but at what point do we stop selling our souls for money? Yeah, it's dollars without sense."
