Revisiting Jungle Larry's Safari Island

In 1964, a dock strike in Europe had prevented Cedar Point's next family dark ride, the Earthquake ride, from arriving to the park for the season. The park had already prepared a spot for the new attraction on the main midway, and rather than having the building sit vacant for the summer, they decided to invite zoologists Larry Tetzlaff and his wife, Nancy "Jane" Tetzlaff-Berens, to the park to run a temporary Baby Animal Farm, where guests could get up-close and personal with various exotic baby animals.

The Baby Animal Farm ended up being a huge success, and Cedar Point admired the Tetzlaff family so much, that they invited them back to the park the following season to open a permanent attraction called Safari Island. Safari Island would be located on an actual island in the middle of Cedar Point's main lagoon, which used to be much larger prior to the installment of the Iron Dragon, Top Thrill Dragster, and other famous Cedar Point roller coasters.

During the first season of its operation, guests had to be rafted across the lagoon to visit Safari Island, which served as a quiet, wooded area secluded from the rest of the park. This made it an ideal location for housing exotic animals due to its lush, jungle-like environment. The attraction was essentially a wildlife park where guests could experience live animal shows and interact with exotic species.

The Safari Canyon lecture stage would become the centerpiece of the island, as every thirty minutes, Jungle Larry or one of his workers would begin an educational presentation of one of the island's many animal inhabitants. Animals that could be found on the island during the attraction's run included elephants, zebras, chimpanzees, snakes, lions, tigers, and leopards, along with a wide variety of bird species, reptiles, and smaller primates.

Safari Island easily became one of Cedar Point's biggest attractions of the time, and the Tetzlaff family loved returning to the park each summer, however, it was by no means a cheap venue to operate. To avoid keeping the animals in the cold, Ohio winters during the park's off-season, Larry and Jane founded the Caribbean Gardens park in Naples, Florida in 1969. This second animal reserve provided a suitable home for the exotic animals between seasons, since they could be kept outdoors year-round. For the next three decades, the Tetzlaff family would operate both locations concurrently, transporting animals back and forth seasonally.

Sadly, in 1984, Larry Tetzlaff passed away, but Jane and his family continued to run the Cedar Point location. Over the years, Cedar Point had begun to add more new thrill rides and roller coasters, most notably the Iron Dragon, which overtook much of the lagoon area. Safari Island would be notably reduced in size and relocated across the lagoon in a wooded section of land next to Corkscrew. The attraction would also be renamed to simply "Jungle Larry's African Safari."

During the 1980s and 1990s, the African Safari continued to grow, and it saw the installment of a new animal training area, a new wolf exhibit, and the introduction of a rare white tiger cub, as well as an extremely rare Golden Tabby Bengal tiger. Larry's son, David Tetzlaff, honored his father's legacy by continuing to educate guests on the conservation of animals as well as providing them with a better understanding of their behavior, well-being, and habitats.

In August of 1994, it was announced that Jungle Larry's African Safari would be completing its final season at Cedar Point. Costs of transporting animals to and from Florida were starting to become too expensive for the Tetzlaff family to handle. It was reluctantly decided that they would focus all of their efforts on the Caribbean Gardens location, which was in the process of transforming into what is now known as the Naples Zoo, one of the most famous zoological parks in the country.

Even though the exotic animals did not return after the '94 season, live animal shows at Cedar Point would live on for several more years at the Oceana Stadium and the Sealand Aquarium, which were located on the beach towards the front of the park. The land once occupied by the African Safari would sit vacant for several years, with only a Safari-themed gift shop remaining (this is still standing today, but has been re-themed to a Top Thrill Dragster gift shop, although the back side continues to show signs of jungle theming if you have a sharp eye).

In 1998, Power Tower, a hybrid of two 275-foot space-shot and two 275-foot turbo-drop towers, would be erected on the site of the former African Safari, while the rest of the land would be used by park maintenance.

Safari Island no longer operates at Cedar Point, but it can be agreed that it had a happy ending after its long run at the park. The love and fascination Larry and the Tetzlaff family had for the animal world would pay off in the foundation of the Naples Zoo, and their legacy continues to live on to this day through the memories of Midwestern residents who remember their first encounters with incredible exotic wildlife from around the world, all thanks to the adventurous, kind, and inviting couple that was Jungle Larry and Safari Jane.

Until next time. -Max