Animal theme park

A Black-Handed Spider Monkey in the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo, Jerusalem, Israel

An animal theme park, also known as a zoological theme park, is a combination of a theme park and a zoological park, mainly for entertainment, amusement, and commercial purposes. Many animal theme parks combine classic theme park elements, such as themed entertainment and amusement rides, with classic zoo elements such as live animals confined within enclosures for display. Many times, live animals are utilized and featured as part of amusement rides and attractions found at animal theme parks.

A kind of animal theme park is Disney's Animal Kingdom in Orlando, Florida (550 acres or 2.2 square kilometres) or Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in Tampa, Florida (335 acres or 1.36 square kilometres). These commercial parks are similar to open-range zoos and safari parks according to size, but different in intention and appearance, containing more entertainment and amusement elements (stage shows, amusement rides, etc.).

The term "animal theme park" can also be used to describe certain marine mammal parks, oceanariums, and more elaborate dolphinariums, such as SeaWorld, which offers amusement rides and additional entertainment attractions, and are also where marine animals such as whales are kept, contained, put on display, and are sometimes trained to perform in shows.

In 2010 the practice of keeping animals as trained show performers in theme parks was heavily criticized when a trainer was killed by an Orca Whale at SeaWorld Orlando in Florida.^[1]