Jungleland USA facts for kids
Jungleland USA was a special place in Thousand Oaks, California. It was a private zoo, a training center for animals, and an animal theme park. Today, the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza stands where Jungleland used to be. When it was most popular, the park covered about 170 acres, which is like 130 football fields!
Contents
The Start of Jungleland
Jungleland began in 1926 thanks to a man named Louis Goebel. He used to work with animals at Universal Studios. When Universal Studios decided to close its animal section, Louis Goebel took five of their lions. These lions became the first animals in his new collection.
From Farm to Theme Park
At first, the place was called Goebel's Lion Farm. Later, it became Goebel's Wild Animal Farm. Louis Goebel soon got many different kinds of exotic animals. These animals were trained and then rented out to Hollywood studios for movies.
In 1929, the animal farm opened to the public as a theme park. People could come and watch amazing wild animal shows. These shows were very popular in the 1940s and 1950s.
Famous Animal Stars
Many famous animals lived at Jungleland.
- Leo the Lion: He was the mascot for the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer movie studio.
- Mister Ed: This was the talking horse from the popular TV show.
- Bimbo the elephant: He starred in the Circus Boy TV series.
- Tamba the chimpanzee: Tamba was featured in the Jungle Jim movies and TV show.
Amazing Animal Trainers
One of the most famous people at Jungleland was Mabel Stark. She was known as the "lady lion tamer." Mabel performed in many shows. She even helped in the 1933 movie I'm No Angel, where she stood in for actress Mae West during the lion-taming scenes.
Jungleland in Movies and TV
Jungleland was a busy place for Hollywood. Many TV shows and movies used the park's trained animals. Some productions were even filmed right there!
Filming Locations
Some of the famous movies and shows filmed at Jungleland include:
- The Birth of a Nation
- The Fugitive
- Tarzan the Ape Man
- Doctor Dolittle
- The Adventures of Robin Hood
The park was also shown in an episode of the TV show Route 66.
Challenges and Closure
Jungleland faced some tough times during its history.
Incidents at the Park
In 1940, a barn fire broke out at the park. Sadly, 12 animals died in the fire, including tigers, camels, and elephants.
In 1966, a young boy named Zoltán Hargitay was visiting the park. He was the son of actors Mickey Hargitay and Jayne Mansfield. A male lion named Sammy caused an injury to the boy.
Why Jungleland Closed
Jungleland closed its doors in October 1969. There were a few reasons for this. Other amusement parks in Southern California were becoming very popular, creating more competition. Also, the city of Thousand Oaks was growing and becoming more urban. Jungleland, with its wild animals, didn't quite fit in with the new city feel.
The company that owned Jungleland went out of business. All of the park's movable items, like the animals, buildings, trucks, and furniture, were sold at an auction. Louis Goebel still owned the land. Eventually, he sold it to the city. This land was then used to build the Civic Arts Plaza and other new developments.
