Celebrating Over Two Decades of Animal Kingdom Magic
Happy Birthday Disney’s Animal Kingdom! The theme park officially opened on Earth Day 1988 with the goal of offering guests a chance to experience a one-of-a-kind theme park that inspires and celebrates the magic of the natural world. Twenty-five years ago, Animal Kingdom created a whole new way to appreciate, enjoy and interact with animals while delivering incredible new stories and celebrating Disney’s commitment to the environment and conservation.
A Theme Park Like No Other
The fourth Walt Disney World theme park has the distinction of being the largest park at the resort spanning an impressive 500 acres. Animal Kingdom celebrates animals both real and imaginary with exciting attractions, spectacular stage shows, and entertaining characters.
Tree of Life
Holding pride-of-place at the center of the park is the stunning Tree of Life which features 337 sculpted animals on its trunk.
The Magic of Pandora
Then there’s the stunning bioluminescent landscape at Pandora- The World of Avatar complete with its floating mountains and top-rated attractions inspired by James Cameron’s Avatar franchise.
Animal Encounters
Animal Kingdom is a wonderland filled with breathtaking animal encounters. Guests can head out on an African safari adventure with Kilimanjaro Safaris, and traverse the Maharajah Jungle Trek in search of tigers. The park is home to nearly 2,000 animals representing over 200 different species. The animal inhabitants also get impeccable care thanks to Disney’s Animal Science and Environment team. A visit to Animal Kingdom is the perfect way for Disney to inspire guests with the spectacular breadth and beauty of nature through Disney’s world-class storytelling.
Did you know? Forty-five of the Animal Kingdoms that call Disney home have actually been around since the park opened 25 years ago.
Immersive Stage Shows
One of my favorite things about Disney’s Animal Kingdom is the stellar musical stage shows including Finding Nemo: The Big Blue…and Beyond and the larger-than-life celebration that is Festival of the Lion King.
Big Thrills
Animal Kingdom also has some of Walt Disney World’s most beloved thrill rides! You can climb on the back of a banshee with Avatar Flight of Passage, Then you can head over to the Asia section of the park on a high-speed adventure through Expedition Everest- Legend of the Forbidden Mountain where you’ll come face-to-face with the formidable Yeti.
Protecting the Magic of Nature
Over the past 25 years, Disney’s Animal Kingdom has made significant contributions to the preservation and well-being of animals. But that’s not all, through funding from The Walt Disney Company and supplemented by the generous contributions of guests, the Disney Conservation Fund has invested more than $125 million in conservation efforts. These funds have supported more than 1,000 species and protected 315 million acres globally since 1995.
Disney also recently announced a $500,000 donation to five conservation organizations to help make a happier, healthier planet possible. These organizations are Conservation Florida, Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, Trout Lake Nature Center, and Wekiva Wilderness Trust. Each organization received $100,000 allowing them to expand land protection initiatives, find clean drinking water for those in need, and fund educational opportunities.
Top-Notch Animal Care Experts
Disney’s team of passionate veterinarians, nutritionists, animal keepers, educators, and scientists deliver the best care to the animals that call Disney’s Animal Kingdom home. These experts also take their mission into the world to enhance the world’s understanding of protecting, conserving, and enhancing natural resources and wildlife for further generations.
Animal Kingdom’s impact can be felt in Africa, South America, and Asia to help communities protect habitats and species in some of the most remote corners of the world. This includes the tiniest cotton-top tamarins to the mightiest elephants. Locally, we’ve worked with partners around the state to help protect nesting habits for sea turtles, rescue and release dozens of manatees and restore and repopulate corals to help restore Florida’s, Coral Reef.
Over the last twenty-plus years, Animal Kingdom has welcomed endangered species into the world including Sumatran tigers, western lowland gorillas, African elephants, cotton-top tamarins, and okapi to name just a few.
Today, we celebrate 25 years of not just Disney’s Animal Kingdom but the legacy the park leaves on the natural world! Here’s to 25 more incredible years!
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