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Great Adventure Shutting Down Six Flags Drive-Through Wild Safari

JACKSON, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- You're going to have to look elsewhere if you want to drive through a wild region of the Garden State

Six Flags Wild Safari is shutting down as of Sept. 30.

More than 10 million visitors have driven through the 38-year-old attraction, the company said Monday, adding the 350-acre animal sanctuary is the largest drive-through safari outside of Africa, with more than 1,200 animals from six continents.

"While significant changes are on our horizon, our veterinary and animal husbandry staff will continue to provide excellent care for the more than 70 species of exotic and domestic animals that live here at Six Flags," park president  John Fitzgerald said.

Some park visitors speculated that the planned changes may be a result of animals coming too close to cars driving through the safari.

"You'd be afraid they would come in the car. You'd have the windows down. Sometimes you'd have to put them up real quick," said Omar Zapata, of Paterson, N.J.

However, park spokesperson Kristin Siebeneicher told CBS 2's Derricke Dennis that those encounters were not driving the decision.

"We love animals. It really is part of our DNA, and people are gonna see just how much we love animals in 2013," Siebeneicher said.

Six Flags said in a press release more details about the safari's future will be released at the end of the month.

For more information about the park, click here.

What will you miss the most about the old Wild Safari? Let us know in our comments section below...

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