Nancy and Peter Lang, founders of Safari West in Santa Rosa, have created a successful wildlife preserve based on their love for not only animals, but for people. Nancy, 74, describes how it’s most fulfilling to see children getting excited and learning about an endangered species. Safari West has been offering tours to the public since 1993 and the Langs take great pride in their team’s successes.
“Our proudest moments are when we see some of the people who started here when they were young go on to become zoo veterinarians, field biologists, a university dean or a curator at San Francisco Zoo,” says Nancy.
The popularity of Safari West day tours eventually led the Langs to introduce a lodging option, Safari West Tent Camp, in the late 1990s. With no guidebook—or Google search!—on how to set up a B&B in the middle of an animal preserve, the Langs simply rolled up their sleeves and got to work. In those early days Peter was head chef while Nancy took the roles of dishwasher, bartender and server. They even enlisted friends for assistance—Nancy recalls a couple of girlfriends prepping and delivering breakfast baskets to each tent in the mornings.
Three decades later, Peter, now 83, has stepped back from day-to-day operations, while Nancy remains at the helm. Over the years, Safari West has turned into a well-oiled machine, where guests can stay directly on the preserve in authentic tents from Botswana, mingling safely with 90 species of exotic wildlife—from monkeys, rhinos, hyenas and cheetahs to dozens of birds, reptiles and hoofed animals (giraffes!) To visit this Sonoma Serengeti (be sure to reserve a tour in advance) head to 3115 Porter Creek Road or check out safariwest.com for more information.
Peter, talk about how you were introduced to exotic animals as a kid through your father’s work as a director on shows like Daktari and Flipper.
Peter: He happened to do shows that had animals in them. He was a fairly noted director and producer. Daktari was a half hour TV show and I was 12 or 13 when that was going on, and that got my attention because of the African animals. I’ve had animals since I was in the fourth grade.
And after purchasing the Santa Rosa ranch property in 1989, you later learned the seller was a wanted criminal?
Nancy: Peter bought the ranch in ‘89 and it had been basically abandoned, he was a caretaker here. The guy who [sold] it was arrested coming back to the U.S. from a funeral, he was a wanted criminal. He was a drug dealer. And he was laundering money.
Peter: We [learned about the arrest] when we read it in the newspaper. [The newspaper] didn’t identify us as the buyers, they just talked about the arrest of this guy and they showed the map of the ranch. And I go, “That’s familiar.”
Was Safari West a hit from the beginning?
Nancy: Nobody came on our first day of opening on July 4, 1993. It was really scary—I mean, we had quit our jobs.
How did you turn it around?
Nancy: There was a show called Bay Area Backroads and [host] Doug McConnell was a friend of mine, so I called him and called him. He kept saying, “I don’t know,” because he thought we were going to be a little sort of roadside zoo. When they came, they spent days here filming—they actually had a Mother’s Day event for the staff—and they put a great [segment] on. And then Sunset magazine came, and it moved on from there.
Peter: Its funny when you start out in this business. We asked all of these hoteliers and wineries—please refer people to us and assure them it’s great. But you realize when you get busy, they also get busy. You don’t have time to refer people, you don’t have time to chase down reservations.
Which animals do you dedicate the most time to?
Nancy: Our dogs, they are our babies. We have three—Sally, Luna and Anabella. Sally is 8, Anabella is 5 and Luna is just a year now. They are all rescue dogs.
Do you have a favorite part of the preserve?
Peter: All over, the whole preserve. Our footprints are everywhere.
Nancy: I like staying in the tents, which we haven’t done in a long time. That is pretty special. We came back and lived here for a year or two after our [house burned down] in the Tubbs Fire. That was pretty exciting to come back and live here. We were very lucky when you think about it. [Editor’s note: When that fire broke out, Peter Lang remained at the preserve to protect the wildlife against encroaching flames; despite plenty of property damage, no animals lost their lives.]
What attributes does one need to run a successful exotic animal preserve?
Nancy: Peter has a fine eye for detail and artistic ability that is pretty amazing and unusual. And I am more of the organizer/office person, so it’s a match that way. [Turning to Peter] Is that fair enough?
Peter [laughing]: Fair enough, fair enough.
What did you think of Tiger King?
Nancy: Peter watched it, but I had no interest, that was so disgusting.
Peter: It was pretty awful, but there was truth to it. And the repercussions of that show have greatly reduced those [animal abuse] activities, so it did have a benefit to it.
