Lion Country Safari, a wildlife attraction in Loxahatchee Fla., was purchased for $30 million, in late Nov. 2025 by Oracle founder Larry Ellison.
Lion Country Safari was founded to replicate the real safari experience; offering an immersive experience to drive through 320 acres of open habitat. Guests drive through the park in their personal vehicles, observing animals roaming freely in their environment.
Today the park is home to over 900 animals, featuring a wide variety of species and attractions that allow visitors to view the animals.
“It’s a regular on destination top 10 lists, including USA Today’s “10 Best” Readers Choice for top safari park. Now, the park has landed another boasting right,” The Palm Beach Post said.
Oracle, the company who bought the park, is an American company known for its involvement in software development, databases and new involvement in Artificial Intelligence.
“Oracle offers integrated suites of applications plus secure, autonomous infrastructure in the Oracle Cloud,” Oracle.com said.
This sale marks a transition in ownership for the park, ending more than five decades of ownership by the original founding family, the Koopels.
“The seller, an entity managed by Charles Koppel in Palm Beach, has owned the popular attraction since 1967, according to Lion Country Safari’s website,” The Real Deal said.
The family noted that wildlife knowledge and management will continue to be a priority in terms of the park’s mission.
“After 58 years of leadership and dedication to wildlife, conservation and education, Lion Country Safari is saying farewell to the last members of its founding family, as ownership transitions to the Larry Ellison family who has a longstanding commitment to wildlife conservation,” Lion Country Safari said on its website in late Nov. 2025.
The shift in ownership has sparked concern among locals who frequent the parks and hope its nostalgic essence remains intact.
“‘I hope he keeps it the same. I really do. I know he’s a big developer, but I hope he keeps it the same because it’s a great little family place to go and people love it,’ a local resident told WPBF.” West Palm Beach News said.
Despite these concerns, park officials note they do not plan to drastically change Lion Country Safari’s overall goal of maintaining animal care and education across the parks.
Although, one of the first changes under Ellison’s ownership will be permanently shutting down one of the exhibits.
“After 40 years of overnight adventures, the KOA Campground at Lion Country Safari is closing on April 30, 2026. Lion Country Safari’s commitment is unchanged, and our primary focus remains on animal welfare, education, and conservation,” Lion Country Safari said.
Although the KOA Campground will close, meaning visitors can no longer stay in the cabins, the park will continue to proceed as usual, allowing guests to drive through the trails and explore the park attractions. For now, officials say the main focus remains even as they begin this new chapter.
“The guest experience, daily programs and wildlife care teams will continue operating as normal,” West Palm Beach Florida News said.
