Imagine walking the African savannah, spotting leopards and zebras. You can do it without ever leaving Collier County.

Swahili for "the place of the lion," Ngala is a private preserve with everything from tarantulas to giraffes. Unlike the savannah, however, this preserve includes a British Colonial-style tented venue—complete with a cooling system, teak and bamboo furniture, and lush tropical foliage—that can host from 20 to 1,000 guests.

Naples native Donovan Smith, 36, and his wife, Tammy Smith, created Ngala as an alternative to traditional corporate retreats.

"Businesses seek us out as an unusual setting for activities like product launches, awards ceremonies, team-building exercises or just dinner with the animals," Smith says. Last year alone, Ngala entertained more than 650 CEOs from companies around the world.

Smith has been fascinated with exotic animals since he got a turtle for his seventh birthday. At age nine, he was working with big cats under the tutelage of a trainer who kept them on his Everglades ranch. By 14, he had enough experience to own exotic animals, but was too young under Florida law. He petitioned then-Gov. Bob Graham, who signed a variance making Smith one of the youngest licensed professional animal handlers in the country.

Smith didn’t realize he could turn his passion into a business, however, until his late teens, when he was taking care of panthers while working as a guide in the Everglades.

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