Carey On Safari
Lion Country Safari had plenty of bad press but the incident with Carey and the lions was never made public. The place opened in 1970 in Irvine with its 140 acres snug up against the side of the 405 freeway. Visitors paid an entrance fee to drive their own cars on a 4 mile road that wound through a collection of animals that all appeared to roam free. The lions and the creatures they normally feasted on were separated by barriers that were positioned in gullies and thus unseen from the road. You moved along at your own rate and could stop as often and for as long as you wanted. You were instructed to keep all doors and windows closed at all times. Unlike in the wild, all of these animals were well fed by the caretakers. As for the lions, with no need to hunt down prey, the big cats slept all day in the hot weather and rarely even lifted their heads when cars drove up and stopped. Carey liked the idea of checking out lions close up but not if they were sacked