Disney Celebrates Earth Month Through The Magic Of Nature

Posted on by Mathew Corn Animal Kingdom, Disney Parks

April is an exciting time at Disney’s Animal Kingdom! April celebrates Earth Month which of course means Disney gets wrapped up in the magic of nature! Even though we can’t be together in the parks this Earth Month, Disney is bringing the beauty of nature right into our homes. Check out the details below from DisneyParksBlog:

This Earth Month, we look to nature to bring hope and inspiration during these unprecedented times. Throughout April, we will be sharing the Magic of Nature with you and your family, unifying Disney fans and animal lovers, and inspiring environmental stewards to celebrate and draw magic from the incredible world around us.

Conservation and protecting the environment is an important priority across Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, and I’m proud that we put this philosophy into practice every day in the work that we do. From taking care of thousands of animals at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and across Walt Disney World Resort, to conserving water resources and reducing greenhouse gas emissions and waste across our business, we constantly work to not only share, but protect the magic of nature.

Going into the 50th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22, I encourage you to take a moment to pause and reflect on our brilliant planet, appreciating all of its natural wonders. Whether it is learning something new about animals and ecosystems through Disney Magic Moments and NatGeo@Home, or simply admiring the world around us, we can all be inspired by our planet. And to help inspire this wonder and magic, I am thrilled to launch a new series, #AskDrMark, on my Instagram, @DrMarkAtDisney. I am so lucky to have an amazing team of really smart people who can help answer your burning questions and curiosities about wildlife and the environment.

Want to learn more about the work Disney is doing around the world to promote and protect the magic of nature? Check out some favorite Disney Parks Blog posts through the years:

Tour Through Animal Kingdom With Imagineer Joe Rohde

Posted on by Mathew Corn Animal Kingdom, Disney Parks

Have you ever wanted a personal tour of a park with an Imagineer? Well, we’ve got the next best thing! If you’re a fan of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, then you know the mastermind behind much of its ethos was Imagineer Joe Rohde, and he’s recently taken to Instagram (as usual) to share his detailed thoughts on many aspects of the park you may have overlooked. We’ve compiled some of those amazing details here for your easy reading pleasure with several more tours to come! Be sure to check out his Instagram for the full posts.

To start, Joe takes us to the front of the park, known as Oasis Gardens…

“The first thing you notice is not a presence, but an absence. What is not there is a human-based, urban, architectural environment. Instead there is a forest with two paths. Not to put too fine a point on the Robert Frostiness of this, but of course, we want you to take the path less traveled by, because that will make all the difference. Having more than one path is a simple metaphor for adventure… Even if nothing happens on the path you take… There’s always the mystery of that other path.

You cannot believe the number of versions of a park entry sequence we went through….[e]verything from empty zoo cages with their doors standing open, to a kind of 1960s organic hobbitish Village Trail. But this forest does the job. You are in a place about nature, and the priorities of nature, but you, being human, are also there so it must be about you too.”

Joe then takes us to the big centerpiece of the park – The Tree of Life!

“Because the park is dedicated to the themes of animals and their relationships to humans…we needed a non-architectural icon…something “natural.” Since nature is everywhere anyway, we also need to signify that this place is exceptional..in some way “magical.” Thus..a strange tree.

A tree whose body disappears under patient observation to become nothing but animals. A metaphor for the rewards nature can provide to the careful observer. But since we all know it has been made..it is a work of art…it also signifies the intent to communicate..to tell a story. In fact, the Tree promises two things. 1. This place is a story place about animals. 2.This place is a designed place full of virtuoso accomplishments.”

Joe also comments on the live animals you find out in front of the Tree of Life and their place in the overall story of the park.

“When we originally chose animals just around the tree, we chose them for their physical diversity, as demonstrations of the vast differences in shape as animals adapt to their various ecosystems. Kangaroos, porcupines, flamingos, macaws. Each of these animals has strikingly unique adaptations.

These are observations which can be made but are not required. Because this is not an educational facility per se, we want people to pursue ideas at their own pace. As they might do in nature.”

Joe finishes up this area, by discussing a place you may have always overlooked.

“We cannot leave the middle of the park without reflecting on one of my favorite places, the dining gardens of Flame Tree Barbecue. These have a very weird origin. Early in design of the park there was a shuffle of programming. The Tree originally had a restaurant under it with a view of the river. The Flame Tree location was an amphitheater. We decided to put a bigger show under the Tree so we abandoned the amphitheater and moved the restaurant to the amphitheater location. Because this happened after our landscape design was pretty well defined, we had to fit the restaurant into the amphitheater shape. That could have been a design problem, but it ended up creating a really wonderful space.

It’s loosely inspired by some of the places we visited in Bali – little pavilions surrounding a reflecting pond….The architectural ornamentation is inspired by colorful folk art mainly Oaxacan carvings, Peruvian Moche ceramics, and American folk art carvings…not Balinese at all. But the ensemble works somehow to make a very restful meditative space. If you haven’t hung out there it’s worth a visit.”

Again, make sure to check out Joe’s Instagram for his own pictures and many more adventurous stories.

Disney Moments From Home: Kilimanjaro Safaris

Posted on by Mathew Corn Animal Kingdom, Disney Parks

Who else is a Kilimanjaro Safaris fan?! If you’re tackling Disney’s Animal Kingdom, this attraction is one of the most popular for all the right reasons! Despite the parks being closed, Disney Cast Members are having a little fun from home. Join a Cast Member on her trip through the “savanna”! Check out the cute video below as shared on DisneyParksBlog:

Jambo, friends!  Every day, we see more and more great stories of cast members and Disney fans creating magical moments at home, and we can’t help but be delighted and inspired by the true creativity in action!

One such example is Katelyn, a cast member at Kilimanjaro Safaris in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Inspired to recreate the attraction at home, she led a one-of-a-kind video safari through the Harambe Wildlife Reserve, complete with some of her favorite “animals” and her very own safari vehicle. She even shared some great facts about wildlife along the way.

Kilimanjaro Safaris is definitely a favorite attraction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. With its amazing animals and interesting animal facts, it is no surprise that our cast members love sharing this unique experience with guests.

Be sure to keep an eye out for additional #DisneyMagicMoments and #DisneyCastLife stories sharing Disney magic from home.

New Baby Porcupine Born @ Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Posted on by Mathew Corn Animal Kingdom, Disney Parks

Walt Disney World Resort may be temporarily closed, but Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s animal care team is continuing to provide top-notch care to thousands of animals, including the newest addition to the park, an adorable baby prehensile-tailed porcupine.

The baby, known as a porcupette, was born to mom, Peri, on Feb. 25. If you’ve seen the One Day at Disney documentary on Disney+, you may remember seeing Peri participate in an ultrasound with Disney veterinarian Dr. Natalie. And after a long-awaited arrival, the team is delighted to welcome this cutie to the Disney family. Here’s a closer look:

Cast Members like Walt Disney World Veterinarian Dr. Natalie provide continual care for Peri – from annual exams, to pregnancy check-ups, the birth of her porcupette, and of course, post-partum care.

According to Dr. Mark Penning, Porcupettes are covered in a fine red fur coat, but they’re also born with their tiny quills underneath, which begin to harden hours after birth. Those quills are actually what helped the team determine the baby’s gender. And guess what? It’s a girl!

Coming to this conclusion required science and more than just a neonatal exam from the veterinary team. Prehensile-tailed porcupines have internal sex organs, so to determine the baby’s gender, the team actually had to send some of her tiny quills off to a lab for DNA testing.

There are plenty of big hearts caring for this little mother-daughter duo. Peri continues to thrive in her role as a mother, which is part of why she was chosen to breed through the Species Survival Plan (SSP). This program is overseen by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and ensures responsible breeding and genetic diversity of thousands of species of animals.

For more fascinating information on the animals at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and beyond, check out @DrMarkAtDisney on Instagram, where he’ll be sharing even more updates in the coming weeks.

New Baby Zebra Born @ Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Posted on by Mathew Corn Animal Kingdom, Disney Parks

While the parks are closed, we have another cute baby animal update from Dr. Mark Penning, Vice President of Animals, Science and Environment at Disney Parks:

Disney’s Animal Care team is continuing to provide top-notch care to thousands of animals throughout the parks closure, including the newest addition to Disney’s Animal Kingdom that’s black and white and cute all over. A Hartmann’s Zebra foal was born early Saturday morning (Mar. 21) to first-time-mom, Heidi… and the baby is a girl!

The foal, who has yet to be named, is about 65 pounds, 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.

Check out this video captured by one of the animal keepers to see a few moments of sweet mother-daughter time:

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 Disney is working to protect, visit DisneyAnimals.com and follow Dr. Mark on Instagram: @DrMarkAtDisney.