Jungle Habitat was a Warner Bros.-owned drive-through safari park in West Milford, New Jersey, that operated from 1972 to 1976 and once drew hundreds of thousands of visitors to see lions, elephants, and more than a thousand other animals. It’s long gone as a zoo, but the 800-acre property is now public land threaded with hiking and biking trails, and you can still walk right past the crumbling remnants of the old park if you know where to look.
If you grew up in North Jersey, somebody in your family probably has a Jungle Habitat story. If you didn’t, this is one of those “wait, that was real?” pieces of New Jersey history. A Hollywood studio built an African safari in the woods near Greenwood Lake, it went sideways in ways that still get argued about, and the forest quietly swallowed the evidence. Here’s what actually happened, and what you’ll find there now.
What Was Jungle Habitat, Exactly?
Warner Bros. Jungle Habitat, which was in West Milford, in Passaic County, New Jersey, was a Warner Bros.-owned theme park that opened in the summer of 1972, and closed in October 1976. The exact opening date was July 19, 1972, and it closed for good on October 31, 1976 — meaning 2026 marks its fiftieth anniversary.
This wasn’t a petting zoo with delusions of grandeur. Some 1,500 animals roamed over 928 acres of rural New Jersey, delighting visitors from 1972 to 1976, and Jungle Habitat housed 70 different species from all corners of the world. The park had two halves: a petting zoo-style area to explore on foot, and another home to elephants, lions, chimpanzees, tigers, bears, and more that you drove through in your own car. There was also a walk-through section with attractions such as a petting zoo, camel and elephant rides, live shows with Warner Bros.’ Looney Tunes characters, and a reptile house, since Warner Bros. wasn’t going to pass up a chance to put Bugs Bunny on the marquee.
It opened huge. By November 1972, the park had 500,000 paid visitors. For a rural township with two-lane roads, that kind of turnout was both a win and a warning sign.
Why Did a Lion Attack Make Headlines in 1972?
Because, well, it did exactly what you’d fear from a drive-through safari. On October 9, 1972, an Israeli tourist, Abraham Levy, driving through the safari in a taxi, was attacked by a lion. It wasn’t a one-off. In November 1972, two wolves escaped their enclosure and were caught before leaving the property. Local residents were understandably rattled, and on December 16, 1972, the New York Times ran an article on the fears of West Milford residents. Rumors of loose animals became part of the town’s folklore almost immediately, and they never really went away.
So What Actually Shut It Down?
Here’s where the story gets interesting, because it wasn’t really the lions or the escapes that ended Jungle Habitat — it was zoning. Jungle Habitat applied to the township’s Board of Adjustment in March 1976 for permission to install theme-related rides to compete with other amusement parks. Residents and officials pushed back hard, worried about even more traffic clogging roads that were never built for it. Jungle Habitat wanted to expand and add an amusement park, but residents concerned with excessive traffic led the township to reject the needed variances combined with declining attendance as the novelty wore off, led the company to announce the park’s closure in November 1976.
Rather than fight it out, Warner Bros. simply walked. When the permits weren’t a slam-dunk, Warner Bros. shut down the park and sold off the land, despite the fact that the park was still profitable. Ten million dollars of investment, gone in a corporate shrug.
What Happened to the Animals?
Most were relocated. After a tumultuous few years, the safari park closed in 1976, sending its resident animals to other zoos and sanctuaries. But the closure was abrupt enough that not everything went smoothly. The park’s four winters had already taken a toll — one account from a former visitor center notes that a lot of the animals struggled over the harsh New Jersey winters, and in the winter of 1972, they started with 40 animals and ended with only 20, referring to one particular group kept outdoors. That kind of detail is part of why the park drew criticism in its later years over how animals were housed through the cold.
What’s Left to See Today?
This is the part that makes Jungle Habitat worth an actual visit rather than just a Wikipedia rabbit hole. The 800-acre Jungle Habitat property, containing 26 miles of paved roads, was purchased by the state in 1988 for $1.45 million. It’s now managed as part of the state park system, and currently this land is maintained by Ringwood State Park and JORBA, and is used by hikers, bikers, bird watchers, and it contains miles of trails that weave in and out of the remnants of the old park.
You won’t find a visitor center or a gift shop. What you will find is stranger and more atmospheric: the remains of the facility include animal cages, an old ride track, and winding safari roads. Old parking lots have cracked and gone to weeds. Chain-link enclosures stand empty in the trees. Hikers and mountain bikers use trails winding through the former attraction, where portions of the roads and other remnants of Jungle Habitat can still be found.
And yes, the kangaroo thing is a real piece of local lore. Reports of mysterious kangaroo sightings in remote corners of West Milford still turn up from time to time, and locals have long assumed they’re descendants of animals that slipped away during the park’s chaotic final years. Nobody’s confirmed it. Nobody’s really tried too hard to disprove it either.
Planning Your Visit
The site sits at 109 Airport Rd, West Milford, NJ 07480 for parking, with the broader address of 190 Airport Rd, West Milford, New Jersey 07480 also listed for the property. A few things to know before you go:
- There’s no admission fee — it’s public state land, open year-round.
- Trails range from easy walking on old paved roads to rougher, rockier stretches. The state park is mountainous, so the terrain can be a little steep and challenging.
- Bring real footwear. Much of the old infrastructure is broken pavement and overgrown paths, not maintained sidewalks.
- Leashed dogs are welcome on the trails.
- For a deeper dive with photos and interviews, local researchers maintain a website named West Milford Jungle Habitat, featuring a timeline of the park and interviews with locals and former employees, which is worth a browse before you go so you know what you’re looking at once you’re out there.
Why It’s Worth the Trip
New Jersey has no shortage of odd roadside attractions, but Jungle Habitat is different because it isn’t an attraction anymore — it’s a ruin you’re allowed to wander through. There’s something genuinely eerie about standing on a cracked safari road in the middle of the woods, knowing a lion once paced along it a few feet from someone’s station wagon. Fifty years on, the forest has mostly won. That’s exactly what makes it worth seeing.
NOTE TO THE ADVENTURER: This guide is meant to spark curiosity for what lies beyond the horizon — not to serve as a guarantee. Roads fall into disrepair, buildings are torn down and rebuilt, and properties change hands; 'tis your responsibility to do your own research before setting out. Always heed local and regional law, and always respect ground that isn't your own. Take every entry here as a suggestion, not a decree. This guide's contents were gathered with the aid of artificial intelligence, and like any scout, it will from time to time lead you astray. You assume all risk in following its counsel, and neither this blog nor its author is liable for any loss, injury, or misfortune that results.
