Ladies and gentlemen, get your bookies on speed dial. Disney has entered two Finding Nemo inspired Loggerhead Sea Turtles in the “Tour de Turtles: A Sea Turtle Migration Marathon,” which is actually a cleverly disguised research project to help gather data needed to protect the… Read More »Disney Sponsors Entrants in Tour De Turtle, A Research Race to Track Sea Turtle Migration
And now for today’s moment of cuteness. “Nafuna”, a 35-pound female baby Okapi, was recently born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Reported healthy after her first wellness exam, Nafuna, whose name means delivered feet first, was born on June 21st following a 14-month gestation period.
Okapi are one of the animals who always generate excitment in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. You can see them in three places. Guests will be able to catch a glimpse of Nafuna and first-time mom Zawadi a few months from now at Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s Ituri Forest. Father Akili currently lives on the savannah at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. They’re also available on the Pagani walking trail at DAK.
Considered rare in the wild, okapis are often thought as being related to the zebra because of their stripes. But okapis are in fact, related to the giraffe. Their natural habitat is the Ituri Forest, a dense rain forest in central Africa, which is often threatened by loggers, hunters and human settlements.
It’s been a few weeks since we visited Disney’s Animal Kingdom, so we’re overdue for a photo update. We’ve also got some good rumors to discuss.
You may have heard that DAK is starting a ‘Sundowner Celebration’ with extra entertainment and unique food offerings in an attempt to keep people in the park after the parade. It didn’t work for us, we had to leave before Noon.
This truck was parked up front with a giant sign advertising options of activities to enjoy before sundown.
Tilt-shift savannah - click to embiggen
Disney recently announced that Zebras would be moving to a new Savannah on Kilimanjaro Safari. The change has meant the end of the ‘poacher’ storyline and a lot more time for guests to take pictures while driving about.
Construction is now well underway in the last section of ride. I was able to take the following video this morning so you can see the progress for yourself:
There were a couple more changes out on the savannah, which I’ve documented below:
Just in time for Mother’s Day, a 13-year-old white rhino named Kendi is a proud mom after giving birth to her fourth calf Friday, May 4 at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The yet unnamed newborn male represents the third generation of the line, which began with Kendi, the first white rhino born at the theme park.
“The birth of a white rhino calf is certainly something to celebrate since the population of this species is endangered in the wild,” said Jackie Ogden, Ph.D., vice president of Animals, Science and Environment for Disney Parks. “It’s encouraging that with protection and careful management, the global population of white rhinos continues to grow.”
The calf and mother doing well and are currently off the savannah bonding at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Guests will be able to see them when they return to the herd in the coming weeks.
The Official Disney Park Blog interviewed Imagineer Joe Rohde on the occasion of his receiving the Buzz Price Thea Award recognizing a career of distinguished achievements. Those include: The Adventurers’ Club, leading the creation of Animal Kingdom, Expedition Everest, stepping in to help with Aulani,… Read More »Joe Rhode Interview on Avatar and Animal Kingdom
To my eye the Okapi looks like a composite of a giraffe, horse, and zebra. Sort of a living mythological creature. But no matter what you call it, a baby animal is almost always cute. The latest baby to hit the trails at Walt Disney… Read More »Okapi Calf Hits the Savannah at Kidani Village
For the last few years Disney’s Animal Kingdom has slowly making changes to its signature Kilimanjaro Safari attraction. They added more rows to the trucks, changed the spiel slightly, allowed trucks to briefly stop when good photos opportunities present themselves, and made some significant improvements… Read More »Kilimanjaro Safari to end Little Red storyline, add more Zebras, Watering Hole