Lion, monkey, panther to play at The Oaks
By Nancy Needham nancy@theacorn.com

For four decades lions roared loud and often in Thousand Oaks.

Leo the MGM lion, along with a panther, giraffe, hippopotamus, monkey and other storied creatures of Jungleland are long silent, children playing on their replicas will be squealing with delight when the new play area at The Oaks mall opens Saturday.

On Dec. 1 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. the kids' area presented to Thousand Oaks by Los Robles Hospital and Medical Center will have its grand opening. It will be next to the new food court that opened last week.

The area's theme was chosen to remind mall visitors of Thousand Oaks' historic Jungleland, the Goebels Lion Farm that Louis Goeble built in 1927.

The wild-animal attraction brought visitors from far and wide to Thousand Oaks to watch shows with lions, elephants, monkeys and other exotic animals trained to perform in movies. Some of the animal actors appeared in the "Tarzan" movie series.

An oak tree replica will provide a canopy for the 1,066-square-foot play area. The entryway will welcome children (under 42 inches tall) with a "Tarzan" theme. The youngsters will be able to climb on, slide down and crawl through the lifelike animals.

When Jungleland closed in 1969, 1,800 animals were auctioned off. The land was sold and the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza was built on the property on Thousand Oaks Boulevard.

Goeble's daughter Alma Heil will be at the opening of the play area at 9:30 a.m. Special appearances will be made by Dora the Explorer and her cousin Diego at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

The Oaks mall was built in 1978 and is undergoing a complete interior renovation and open-air expansion that is to be completed next fall.

Jungleland legend

Leo, the iconic MGM lion, is buried on the grounds of what was once Jungleland.

During the 1960s, a panther escaped from Jungleland and fled into the hills that surround Thousand Oaks. Longtime residents of Newbury Park remember hearing the panther roar from the Los Robles hills. The Newbury Park High School Panthers took their name and mascot from this escaped black cat.