Disney's Animal Kingdom

About Disney's Animal Kingdom

Disney's Animal Kingdom is a zoological theme park at Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, on the western edge of the resort near Orlando. Wikipedia reports that it opened on April 22, 1998, and describes it as the largest theme park in the world at the time of its opening, on 580 acres. The Walt Disney Company's own article describes the park as over 500 acres.

The park combines live animal habitats with conventional theme park attractions. Wikipedia describes it as themed around the natural world through both real-life and imagined representations of animals and locations, and notes that the park does not hold nighttime fireworks, to avoid disturbing the animals. Wikipedia reports about 2,000 animals of around 200 species; the Walt Disney Company's 2023 article gives over 2,000 animals and approximately 300 species, along with more than 400 million trees, plants, shrubs, vines, grasses, and ferns representing about 3,000 species. The sources differ on species count.

Both sources state that the park is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and Wikipedia adds that it is also accredited by the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Wikipedia reports attendance of 8.8 million guests in 2024 and describes the park as the most-visited zoo in the world as of 2019.

History

According to Wikipedia, the park was the brainchild of Imagineer Joe Rohde, and construction was underway by July 1996. The park opened on April 22, 1998, and the company marked its 25th anniversary in 2023.

Several areas have changed since opening. The central hub, Discovery Island, took its name from an earlier area called Safari Village, because, according to Wikipedia, Discovery Island had been the name of a small zoological park on Walt Disney World's Bay Lake, which closed in 1999. The Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail opened on April 22, 1998, was renamed the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail in August 1998, and returned to its original name on May 27, 2016. The Maharajah Jungle Trek opened on March 1, 1999. Pandora, The World of Avatar, opened on May 27, 2017.

Wikipedia reports that DinoLand U.S.A. began closing in phases on January 13, 2025, and is being replaced by a Tropical Americas land, with Encanto and Indiana Jones themed attractions and completion expected by 2027.

Exhibits and habitats

Wikipedia lists the park's lands as Oasis, Discovery Island, Pandora, Africa, Conservation Station, and Asia. Discovery Island is centered on the Tree of Life, which Wikipedia describes as a 145-foot artificial baobab tree serving as the park's icon.

Kilimanjaro Safaris, in the Africa land, is a ride through a savanna exhibit that Wikipedia says spans about 4.8 million square feet, in a simulated reserve. The ride lasts about 21 minutes, and Wikipedia's animal list for the ride includes elephants, giraffes, lions, zebras, hippopotamuses, crocodiles, rhinoceroses, cheetahs, ostriches, and several antelope species. Wikipedia says the safari ran at night during the 1998 holiday season, and night safaris were reintroduced in 2016.

The Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail is a walking trail of about three-eighths of a mile next to the safari. Its main animal is the western lowland gorilla. Wikipedia also lists okapi, meerkats, hippopotamuses, Grevy's zebras, ball pythons, pancake tortoises, Lake Victoria cichlids, and an aviary with 19 bird species. Wikipedia says "research students" are positioned at most locations along the trail to answer questions.

In the Asia land, the Maharajah Jungle Trek is a walking trail of about 2,000 feet set in the fictional Kingdom of Anandapur. Wikipedia lists Sumatran tigers, Komodo dragons, blackbucks, water buffalo, lion-tailed macaques, and an aviary with 17 bird species including Victoria crowned pigeons and Nicobar pigeons. In 2017 the first Sumatran tiger cubs born at the park, Jeda and Anala, were exhibited there. Expedition Everest and Kali River Rapids are in the same land.

Conservation Station, reached by the Wildlife Express Train, is the one area not connected to Discovery Island. Wikipedia says it showcases conservation efforts supported by the Walt Disney Company and offers a behind-the-scenes look at animal care facilities, including a veterinary examination room with a two-way communication system so staff can answer guest questions. Its petting zoo, formerly the Affection Section, was renamed Jumping Junction in May 2026 and became a walkthrough habitat with wallabies and kangaroos, according to Wikipedia.

Conservation and programs

The Disney Conservation Fund was established in 1995. According to the Walt Disney Company, it supports wildlife recovery, nature restoration, conservation education, and community engagement in 120 countries. A 2023 announcement for the park's 25th anniversary says the fund had supported nearly 600 organizations and awarded 25 new grants that year. Named recipients included the Sea Turtle Conservancy, Audubon Canyon Ranch for California mountain lions, Fauna and Flora International for gibbons in Vietnam, the Global Penguin Society for Magellanic penguins, the Perry Institute for Marine Science for Caribbean coral reefs, and Save the Elephants in Kenya.

The same announcement lists Florida work: 8,000 acres protected as a permanent conservation area at Walt Disney World Resort, the 11,500-acre Disney Wilderness Preserve, sea turtle conservation at Vero Beach, where the announcement marks the 1.5 millionth hatchling, and the raising and reintroduction of more than 6,000 Atala butterflies. The park takes part in the AZA Saving Animals from Extinction initiative, which the company says supports species including African lions, gorillas, monarch butterflies, sea turtles, sharks, and rays. Wikipedia reports that white rhinoceroses were transferred to Uganda's Ziwa sanctuary in 2006.

The company describes a veterinary hospital with computed tomography scanners, and an Animal Nutrition Center that prepares more than 1,200 individual or group diets daily. It names Dr. Mark Penning as Vice President of Animals, Science and Environment for Disney Parks.

Planning your visit

Ticket, hours, and reservation details are on the park's page on the Walt Disney World website, which also lists current attractions and any closures. Wikipedia notes that Kilimanjaro Safaris typically operates until sundown, and that Conservation Station is reached only by the Wildlife Express Train from the Africa land.