Category: Animal Kingdom

Nigerian Dwarf Goats Added to Disney’s Animal Kingdom Safari
Disney World announced today, that they have introduce a new species of Nigerian dwarf goats to Animal Kingdom park.

As guests wrap up their journey on the Harambe Wildlife Reserve they’ll see a warden’s outpost where these miniature West African goats chase, climb and play like kids. But don’t let their size fool you, they are fully grown adults.

Originally from Nigeria, the goats are considered to be of high value because of the high protein milk they provide, which is also very sweet. Take a closer look at them below:
By being able to help support the village with the goat milk products, there is less of a need for people to rely on wildlife, which in turn helps keep wildlife and their habitats protected. With the Warden’s outpost being on the edge of the reserve, this shared land is managed in a way that helps protect local wildlife so both the animals and humans can live near each other in harmony.

Since the opening of the park in 1998, Kilimanjaro Safaris at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park has continued to grow and evolve, bringing new encounters to the savanna and with this addition they aren’t kidding around.
December 15, 2020
Imagineer Behind Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Joe Rohde, is Retiring

Longtime Disney Imagineer Joe Rohde, who was instrumental in the development of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, is retiring from Walt Disney Imagineering.

Rohde oversaw a trio of major projects in recent years, including Pandora — the World of Avatar at Animal Kingdom; the Guardians of the Galaxy-themed update of Tower of Terror at Disney California Adventure; and the Villages Nature Eco-Resort next to Disneyland Paris.

Rohde, who will retire in January, reflected on his career in an Instagram post as you can see below:

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A post shared by Joe Rohde (@joerohde)

Given his multi-decade-long tenure, he said the “strange quiet time” of the pandemic affords him the opportunity to step back.

“It has been 40 years since I stepped foot in the door at age 25, not knowing anything about theme parks, Disney, or what it meant to work for a big company,” Rohde wrote. “Every day of my life since then has been a learning experience. I’m very glad to have had that opportunity, and proud of the work that has been done, not just by me, but by all my fellow Imagineers, and especially those who worked by my side over the decades.

Early in his tenure he worked as a model designer for Epcot Center, which opened in Florida in 1982. He went on to supervise design work for Animal Kingdom, which opened in 1998 just outside of Orlando. One signature, fan-favorite attraction at the latter park is Expedition Everest, which boasted a lifelike, animatronic yeti that Rohde had been pledging to refurbish in recent years.

“I’m not that old yet and there are things I want to do that cannot be done here,” Rohde wrote.

Rohde’s last day with Disney will be January 4, 2021.

November 24, 2020
VIDEO: New Baby White Rhino Born at Disney World

An endangered white male rhino calf was born earlier this week at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, and Disney had shared a sneak peek of the newborn.

The yet to be named beautiful baby boy white rhino was born to mom Kendi. He is curious, loves his afternoon naps and has started sparring with his mom.

The video below features endearing moments as mother Kendi bonds with her playful new baby:

Kendi was paired with dad Dugan through one of the Species Survival Plans, which are overseen by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to ensure the responsible breeding of endangered species. White rhinos are an endangered species with a near-threatened status.

Typically, a rhino calf can weigh up to 140 pounds at birth, and as expected, this baby was nursing, standing and walking around right by mom within the first hour of being born. The two will spend the next several weeks bonding backstage before joining the rest of the herd.

As the second largest-land animal on Earth, the rhinoceros is a massive sight to behold – from their horns to their hoofs and thick armored skin – all of it.

Rhinos in the wild are found in bush country and open grassy flatlands in Africa and Southeast Asia. They are among the most endangered animals in the world due largely in part to poaching. Disney is proud to support rhino conservation efforts around the world, including those of Sumatran rhinos, which are found only in Indonesia and are critically endangered. To date, the Disney Conservation Fund has provided more than $2 million to support rhino conservation efforts around the world.

This is the first of several rhino births on the horizon. Two other rhinos at the park are also expecting; Jao is due fall 2021, and Lola will likely give birth in fall/winter 2021.

November 1, 2020
Baby Mandrill Was Born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Walt Disney World has been welcoming guests back during the phased reopening and now they are welcoming a new baby mandrrill to Animal Kingdom.

On Saturday, July 25, the animal care team at the park welcomed a “colorful” mandrill infant, born to first-time father, Linus, and mother, Scarlett.

Scarlett and baby have already begun making short appearances in their habitat on the Kilimanjaro Safari, joining the other members of their mandrill troop. Take a look at the video below:

Mom and baby are doing well and spending lots of time bonding. In fact, their bond is so close that at the baby’s neonatal exam, our veterinary team wasn’t able to determine if the baby is a boy or a girl just yet, because mom is keeping the infant so close to her belly.

While this little one is pretty tiny now, mandrills are actually the largest species of monkey in the world. They’re a vulnerable species found in African rainforests along the equator, where their habitat is disappearing because of deforestation and poaching. This birth is an example of how our dedicated and highly trained team of Disney animal care experts works with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) on Species Survival Plans (SSPs). The SSP assures responsible breeding for endangered species, such as mandrill monkeys, allowing for a healthy and genetically diverse population of such animals for years to come.

July 29, 2020
PHOTOS: Baby Zebra Born at Walt Disney World Resort
The folks over at Disney’s Animal Kingdom are seeing stripes today! On May 6, the animal care team at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge welcomed a new female Hartmann’s mountain zebra foal to the herd.

The name Phoenix was chosen by our team as a symbol of strength and renewal. Phoenix was born to mom Peebles, and she’s already quite active and enjoying bonding time with her mother. This is the second Hartmann’s foal born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge this year.

Monday, Disney shared photos of little Phoenix as she recently made her first appearance on the resort’s Sunset Savanna. Take a look at a few of the amazing photos below:
Phoenix was born as part of the Species Survival Plan program, overseen by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The program ensures responsible breeding and genetic diversity of thousands of animal species. As part of this program, Phoenix is the fourth zebra born at Walt Disney World this year, and 13^th overall since we began participating in the breeding program.

The zebra birth marks another success for Disney’s animal care experts and the Species Survival Plan, a program through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums that helps ensure a diverse, healthy population of threatened and endangered species.
June 30, 2020
Babirusa Piglet Born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Disney’s Animal Kingdom is celebrating a first for the park: the birth of a babirusa piglet.

It’s a girl and the Disney animal care team has chosen to name her Kirana, which translates to “sunbeam” in Indonesian.

Babirusas are part of the hog family, native to the swamps and rainforests of the Indonesian Islands. They’re known for their unique snouts and magnificent tusks that can grow up to almost 17 inches! Close relatives of the babirusa also live at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, such as the warthogs on Kilimanjaro Safaris and the KuneKune pigs at Affection Section.

This birth is another success story for the dedicated team of Disney animal care experts, as parents Betty and Mentari were chosen to breed through the Species Survival Plan (SSP) overseen by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The SSP assures responsible breeding for endangered species, such as the babirusa pigs and Asha, the Hartmann’s Mountain zebra foal recently born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Over the last 15 years, Disney animal care experts partnered with reproductive biologists and the SSP to “crack the code” on breeding a babirusa pair. The piglet is making an important contribution toward the worldwide conservation and understanding of the species, which will help ensure a future generation for these vulnerable animals.

The Disney Conservation Fund has supported projects in Africa for more than 20 years to inspire grassroots conservation and improve livelihoods. These projects can help protect Africa’s amazing wildlife and benefit the hogs – such as babirusas – living in these habitats.

May 21, 2020
Baby Zebra Born at Walt Disney World Resort Amidst Coronavirus Pandemic

What’s black and white and cute all over? The newest member of the herd over at Disney’s Animal Kingdom! The park has just announced the birth of a Hartmann’s zebra foal.

Although Walt Disney World Resort is temporarily closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, Disney’s Animal Care team is continuing to provide top-notch care to thousands of animals.

A Hartmann’s Zebra foal was born early Saturday morning (Mar. 21) to first-time-mom, Heidi… and it’s a girl! Check out the video below to see a few moments of sweet mother-daughter time.

The foal, who has yet to be named, is about 65pounds, and is quite strong – she was standing within 30 minutes of birth. Already very active and curious, this little lady is much like her mother and has very long legs.

Heidi is showing she’s a natural at parenting skills as she stays close to her baby to bond with her and nurse. Bonding is especially important, as a young zebra will imprint on its mother’s scent and memorize the unique markings on its mother’s hind legs to tell her apart from the rest of the herd. In a few weeks, after the pair develop a strong bond, they will be introduced to the Kilimanjaro Safaris savannah.

The foal was born as part of the Species Survival Plan (SSP) program, which is overseen by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and ensures responsible breeding and genetic diversity of thousands of species of animals. Her arrival marks the third zebra birth at Walt Disney World this year.

Hartmann’s mountain zebras are found in sub-Saharan Africa and are a vulnerable species due to habitat loss and hunting. To learn more about zebras and other species we are working to protect, visit DisneyAnimals.com

March 27, 2020
Baby Zebra Born at Walt Disney World Resort

The folks over at Disney’s Animal Kingdom are seeing stripes today! The park has just announced the birth of a Hartmann’s zebra foal.

On Jan. 21, the yet-to-be-named Hartmann’s zebra foal was born to mom Prima under the care of the West Savanna team. This moment marks a milestone for the park as it is the first time this vulnerable zebra species has been born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Weighing in at about 65 pounds, the foal was standing and walking within 30 minutes of birth.

This little one is doing well and bonding backstage with his mom. Much of the time, he is nursing, napping and starting to play and explore his mom’s hay. When he’s ready, he will be introduced in stages to the other zebras and then join the herd as they go out onto the savanna.

These zebra births mark another success for Disney’s animal care experts and the Species Survival Plan, a program through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums that helps ensure a diverse, healthy population of threatened and endangered species.

January 29, 2020
Young Eland Born After Hurricane Finally Makes Debut at Animal Kingdom
First steps were in the forecast this morning at Disney’s Animal Kingdom as Disney’s young eland, Doppler, finally showed up on the radar and officially made his debut onto the Kilimanjaro Safaris savanna.

Doppler was born roughly two months ago on the heels of Hurricane Dorian. His name was inspired by his post-storm arrival.

Mom and baby spent the morning exploring and playing on the savanna, and the young calf was eager to meet some of his new neighbors.

Since his birth, Doppler has been bonding with his mom, Clover, in a backstage habitat and he’s been growing quickly. Common elands are some of the largest antelopes in the world. Doppler was nearly 70 pounds at birth, and he’s already almost doubled his weight in just two months.
While he will continue to nurse for the next couple of months, Doppler has developed quite an appetite for some of his favorite new foods – lettuce, carrots and sweet potatoes. When he’s fully grown, Doppler will stand about 8-feet-tall and his legs will be powerful enough for him to jump that high too.

Doppler was born as part of a species survival plan in partnership with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).

Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for the newest addition to the herd on your next adventure on Kilimanjaro Safaris.
November 6, 2019
A Baby Eland Was Born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Yesterday
The family at Disney Animal Kingdom just got a little bit bigger. A baby Eland was born on Sept. 4 as the park returned to normal activities after being spared from the affects of Hurricane Dorian.

Early yesterday morning, an eland in Disney’s care gave birth to a healthy calf named Doppler in honor of its post-storm arrival. Gender is not known as of yet.

The photos below were taken in the first few hours after the birth, and the calf has already taken its first steps.
The calf was born as part of a species survival plan in partnership with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Mom and baby are bonding well, and the team will conduct a neonatal exam in the coming days to get a gauge on the calf’s weight, height and gender. The pair will remain backstage for the next several weeks before venturing out onto the savanna with the rest of the herd at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
September 5, 2019