Disney’s Animal Programs: Care and Research a Key Conservation Goal

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Disney’s Animal Programs has contributed significantly to the propagation of species, the knowledge base about animals and the rescue of injured wildlife. Disney’s Animal Programs oversees the health and well being of all animals at Walt Disney World Resort. Responsible for thousands of animals, including 33 endangered and threatened species, the team is committed to ensuring excellence in animal care and welfare through an integrated approach to animal care – where veterinary services, science, and animal care teams work together to make certain that each animal receives the best possible care.



Disney’s Animal Kingdom and The Seas at Epcot are both accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and are involved in many AZA “Species Survival Plans” (SSPs). “Species Survival Plans” are cooperative breeding and management groups for endangered or threatened species and have been instrumental in the cooperative breeding of many endangered animals, including black rhinos, white rhinos, lowland gorillas, African elephants, and many rare birds, reptiles, invertebrates and fish.



African elephants have been a major focus of the animal programs and SSP efforts at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, which is home to the largest African elephant herd in North America. There have been three successful births of African elephants since the park opened. African Elephants are endangered and very difficult to breed, and having a successful birth is a significant and lengthy event for both the species and the elephant experts. This has been a momentous achievement for Disney’s team of elephant experts who have been working on this program for five years.



In 2006, Nande and Hasani, two white rhinos born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, were sent to Africa in an effort to reestablish the species in Uganda. This remarkable undertaking marks the first time that rhinos from the United States have been reintroduced in Africa. The two rhinos joined another four white rhinos at the Ziwa Sanctuary in Uganda where rhinos have been extinct since 1972. The Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund and The Walt Disney Company have contributed more than $800,000 to rhino protection and research projects in partnership with nonprofit organizations working in Asia and Africa (the only places they are found). In all, seven endangered rhinos have been born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom as a result of natural breeding.



In another species saving effort, Disney is working to re-establish the Bongo (antelope) population in Kenya. Bongos have become so scarce that they have not been seen in their natural environment on Mount Kenya in almost a decade. Together, with other AZA zoos, Disney’s Animal Kingdom joined with the United Nations Foundation, the Rare Species Conservatory Foundation, and others in an effort to repopulate the critically endangered mountain antelope. Disney has sent three Bongos born at the Animal Kingdom to Kenya, preparing the animals and paying for the expenses involved in flying the animals to their native land.



Epcot’s The Seas with Nemo and Friends is also part of Disney’s Animal Programs and has been a leader in the rehabilitation of endangered species. More than 200 sick or injured sea turtles have been taken in by The Seas since the facility opened. Many of the turtles have been rescued from cold northern waters, are nursed back to health at Disney and released in Florida. Since little is known about what happens to these turtles once they are released, Disney scientists, in collaboration with the University of Florida’s Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research, University of Central Florida Marine Turtle Research Group and US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) pioneered new satellite technology that allows them to track the travel patterns of the rehabilitated turtles. Staff from Disney’s Animal Programs, in cooperation with the USFWS, also takes part in a summer-long project that monitors sea turtle nests on a stretch of coastline at Disney’s Vero Beach Resort. Every day, Cast members identify new nests, and examine and mark them for protection.



The team is also a participant in the Manatee Rehabilitation Partnership with the USFWS and other zoological facilities. The Seas serves as a “halfway house” working with the manatees after they are out of “intensive care” to ensure they resume a normal diet and are ready to return to the wild.



Through these efforts, Disney’s Animal Programs exemplifies the company’s long-term commitment to conservation. More information about these and other programs can be found at www.disneywildlifefund.com.