Walt Disney World - Animal Kingdom

One of four theme parks within the Walt Disney World property, the Animal Kingdom is huge; at 500 acres it’s five times larger than the more popular Magic Kingdom Park nearby. Disney’s Animal Kingdom is a mix of high adrenalin rides, shows, animal enclosures, eateries and shops all brought together with mind blowing theming. 

Upon entry the park can feel complicated to navigate due to its sheer size. Once you have identified land marks such as the Tree of Life and Mount Everest you should get your bearings a lot easier.  Six themed areas make up the bulk of the park. They are: 

The Oasis - the lush entry point to the park and is the location of some interesting enclosures. It has a feel of a traditional zoo with good selection of animals from many regions of the world.  

Discovery Island - located at the centre of the park and is the location of the 145 foot high Tree of Life – Great photo opportunities. 



Carvings on the Tree of Life

Dinoland USA- is the ride and entertainment district of the park. Themed up to be more like a fair ground The only animal to be found here is the American Crocodile. 

Africa - is dominated by the Kilimanjaro safaris, home to a great variety of both wooded and savannah dwelling animals that can all be viewed from open air safari buses.  The Pangani Forest Exploration trail located next to Kilimanjaro Safaris is home to western lowland gorillas and hippos as well as a good selection of African forest dwelling animals.  Both the Pagani Trail and Kilimanjaro Safaris can be accessed via Mombasa Village which is the location of many stalls selling traditional African food and handicrafts. 

 

Rafikis Planet Watch - can be accessed via the Wild Life Express Railroad at the train station located at Mombasa Village.  Rafikis Planet Watch is the location of the petting zoo, education centre and a lot of the back of house infrastructure including night time animal pens for the safari animals.

Rafikis Planet Watch entrance

Asia - is dominated by a replica of Mount Everest. The mountain is actually a ride and can be seen from various vantage points around the park. The other ride attraction in Asia is the Kali River Rapids a white water ride - where you will get wet.  The main animal enclosures in Asia are located at Maharajah Jungle Trek, where you will see tigers, giant bats and a good variety of Asian animals and birds.

Perspective of Mount Everest

Extra Activities

Ok its Disney, so you know that there is a heap of activities that will fill your day. Without going into details - shows, rides and food take equal billing to the animals. For animal specific activities at an extra charge, you can organise a walking tour of the safari area called Wild Africa Trek, giving you a totally different perspective of the savannah and it's animals.

Children and adults can grab a Wilderness Explorers Handbook for free, take the pledge and earn badges as you explore the park and learn about the animals and their environs. The Wilderness Explorers Handbook is a brilliant tool to help children learn about every aspect of nature whilst experiencing the whole park.  I saw more than one parent taken from one adventure to the next, to earn one of the 30 plus different badges on offer.

Badges that can be collected

Conservation Efforts

The Disney World Wide Conservation Fund (DWCF) is Disney’s conservation arm. The fund provides grants to organizations that protect and study both animal species and their habitats. The fund also provides grants to help in connecting children to nature through exploration and discovery. DWCF Google Earth App is a great tool to locate the animals, organizations and habitats DWCF has helped since it was established in 1995.

Rafikis Planet Watch is without a doubt the best conservation and education centre I have seen at any zoo, and is where DWCF is seen putting money where its mouth is.  The centre is full of interesting talks by the keepers proudly talking about, and showing off their animals. The centre includes an animal hospital, environmental exhibits, petting zoo and behind the scenes tour of the main administrative area of the zoo. It is well worth the train ride.

Stu’s review and tips

Video showing a selection of animals found at the Animal Kingdom.

The main purpose for theming in a zoo is to help build the illusion that you are somewhere else.  Done well, theming can drop you into an animal’s environment giving you a more immersive experience.  More and more zoos are including themed areas and I have seen good examples at some larger zoos.  Disney’s Animal Kingdom however is on a different level altogether and is the standard that I think every zoo should try and emulate.  Of course this should not be a surprise – it's Disney after all.  I expected great theming, I also expected lots of rides, over the top shows and more Disney magic than one could handle.  Sadly I expected all of this to be at the expense of the animals. I am happy to report that I got the expected magic, but instead of taking away from my animal viewing experience it enhanced it to a level that I have never seen at any zoo before. 

Mombasa Village

 

The park is big but can be done in a full day if you go early and not during the busy holiday season. When I reviewed this park it was over the Christmas / New Year period so it took two full days to get through it all, including four tours on the safari bus.   If you have time, try and do the safari more than once.  The safari site is huge so you will have a different animal experience every time you do it. The safari bus drivers commentate for the whole tour and depending on who you get will impact on your experience as well. They are all good, just some much better than others. The safari bus ride itself can get very bumpy because you travel over rough tracks, rickety bridges and across rivers so if you want to lower the impact of the bumps, try and sit as close to the font of the bus as possible. Because of the bumpy ride it can be hard to get good photos, the bus will not stop at every animal sighting so be prepared and set your camera on a sports shooting mode to get the best shots. The safari and other rides can get very popular – it’s not uncommon to wait in line for over 90 minutes. Try and take advantage of the Fast Pass and Fast Pass Plus systems where available. 

Florida can get very hot and humid in the summer months – When we visited in late December it was still getting up to 27 degrees celsius (80 degrees Fahrenheit) so  be prepared.  

Each enclosure throughout Asia and Africa is accompanied by a zoo keeper who will answer any of your questions regarding the housed animals. For me this made all the difference between passively walking around the enclosure to actively participating and learning about things that you can’t necessarily see looking in from afar including the animal’s status in the wild. 

Tiger Enclosure @ Maharajah Jungle Trek

When entering the park it’s easy to walk past and miss a large selection of animals that are housed at both Discovery Island and the Oasis.   I ran past both these areas when entering the park to get to the Safari before the lines got too long.  Try and find time to explore both these areas. The enclosures in these areas are lovely and house some of the more unusual animals of the park.

For lunch I definitely recommend the Rainforest Café. You will need to leave the park to enter but that won’t be a problem because Disney has set up a specific enter and exit point at that location. Like all sit-down restaurants at Walt Disney World make sure you book well in advance, especially at busier periods like holiday seasons. 

I am now a huge fan of Disney’s Animal Kingdom.  It totally exceeded all of my expectations. The enclosures are spectacular, the conservation message and educational efforts are sound and well thought out, and the seamless way Disney incorporates rides in the environment is breathtaking.  The bar has been well and truly raised by this zoo and I wish all zoos of the world would try and reach for Disney’s standards. 

For ticketing information and opening hours please refer to the web page to get the best package for you.  

Must See Animals 

Gorilla
Tiger
Lion
Elephant
Rhino
Hippo
Giraffe
Okapi
Victoria Crowned Pigeon

© January 2014-Stuatthezoo.blogspot.com.au

Werribee Open Range Zoo - Review

Location – 98 K Road, Werribee Victoria

Entry Price – Adult $26.80AUD Children (4 - 15) $13.20AUD Pensioners $24.10AUD

Opening Hours – 9am to 5pm, Every Day – All year

Werribee Open Range Zoo web page

Front entrance sign to car-park

Layout

Werribee Open Range Zoo is located 35 kilometers west of Melbourne. Basically follow the Princess Freeway for about 30 minutes and then follow the signs. It’s located in the Werribee Park Precinct so be sure to leave ample time to explore all of the other great activities and attractions in this area.  

The zoo is divided into sections, each a unique wildlife experience in itself.

The Safari is where you can take a ride and see zebras, giraffes, rhinos, ostriches, bison and a large selection of hoofed animals including Przewalski’s horses.  The safari takes you around expansive fields dotted with lakes and rivers and lasts for approximately 40 minutes.

Paula Reserve Trail is the enclosure location for gorillas, lions, meerkats, cheetahs and hippopotami. The majority of this walk is on a well-maintained board walk.

Australian Journey is where you will find Kangaroos, Emus and other Australian animals.

Wirribi River Trail is a natural bush walk including a viewing platform with great views of the river and what felt like 27,000 rabbits! 

The park is in excellent condition, well signed with well-themed public art scattered throughout. There are three areas where food can be purchased and a gift store is located near the entry / exit of the park.

Extra Activities

Werribee Open Range Zoo offers an impressive range of “Wild Encounters” at an extra charge. For example you can go behind the scenes to learn more about the gorillas, take your own personal safari on the open vehicle adventure or even stay the night in a luxury tent overlooking the savannah.

Other activities include a village dance party, junior safari and guided tours that are all included in your entry ticket price. Times tend to be during the week for some of these activities so check the web page for more details.

Conservation Programs

The zoo sells beautiful art and jewellery pieces made by the women in the Melako Community Conservancy located in Northern Kenya. The conservancy is community run and was established to help people live in balance with nature. Over the years drought has been responsible for the death of many of the conservancy’s livestock, a major form of food and income for the villagers.  To survive, local wildlife like the rare Grevy’s Zebra and African elephant were hunted for food, putting pressure on already depleted herds.  By making and selling these pieces through the Zoo shop, the community is closer to being self-sustainable and in turn reduces their need to hunt the endangered animals of Northern Kenya.

Beads for wildlife

Stu’s Favourite Bit

For me The Safari was the highlight of my visit to this zoo. Not to take away from the rest of the park but I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the animals interacting in their vast open space. The commentary provided by the driver was excellent and the conservation message was outstanding and continued throughout the entire safari. The opportunity to see the impressive range of antelopes the rare Przewalski’s horse and North American bison was breathtaking. Hearing the back stories of how they have all been brought back from the brink of extinction, reminds me why good zoos are such an important part of the world’s conservation effort.

Go HERE to see a selection of animals found at Werribee on Zoo at Stu @ the zoo TV.

Bison on safari

Stu’s review and tips

This is a fantastic zoo! From the safari to the enclosures, the Werribee Open Range Zoo has found the perfect balance of entertainment and conservation.   Yes you will see a lot of the big ticket animals like lions, gorillas and hippos. But it’s the little things that make this zoo so good.

Walking around the zoo and especially the Pula Reserve Trail is a good example of going beyond just providing good enclosures. You totally get immersed in the theming, natural beauty and the clever way in which the zoo gives you information about the animals and regions in which they live. The enclosures themselves are just an extension of your immediate surroundings, putting you right in the middle of your very own 'Discovery Channel' program. 

Even though you feel you are discovering things in this zoo -the way finding is very well done. From clear signage to the clever usage of totem poles guiding you to the safari station, you will find yourself doing less thinking of what to do next and more just taking it all in.

Although there are three areas that you can grab a bite to eat  around the zoo the best place to sit and grab lunch is the Meerkat Kiosk.  One side of the kiosk are glass windows looking out to a large meerkat enclosure. The food's pretty good too. The other two eateries seem to be only open for short amounts of time or on weekends only.

It's not every day you get this close up and personal to a cheetah.

There are heaps of well-maintained bathroom facilities throughout the zoo, including at the Safari station. Be warned that no strollers are allowed on the vehicle, so park your strollers at the section provided and try and get to the station at least 10 minutes prior to departure. It can get very crowded and I saw one couple turned away because they had a stroller. They missed that safari and had to wait for the next departure.

Construction work was underway for a new entrance to the park when I visited. It looks like more of an entrance plaza type of set up like conventional zoos. When I entered via the current / old entrance the first thing I glimpsed was a large silverback sitting on his large raised island surveying all beneath him. It was quite the entrance statement. 

I absolutely recommend this zoo. It encapsulates all the reasons that I started this blog in the first place. It’s everything a good zoo should be and more.

Must See Animals 
Gorillas
Bison
Hippo
Lion
Cheetah
Meerkat 

 © October 2013-Stuatthezoo.blogspot.com.au