Wildlife Wednesdays: Is a Tortoise a Turtle? Find Out This and More at The Seas with Nemo & Friends and Disney’s Animal Kingdom
posted on May 16th, 2012 by Jackie Ogden, Ph.D., Vice President, Animals, Science and Environment, Disney Parks
So you don’t to have to wait until your next visit, yes, a tortoise is a turtle, but a turtle is not necessarily a tortoise (see fun fact below). You can find out all kinds of fascinating information and participate in a variety of activities for the whole family May 23 when Disney’s Animal Kingdom and The Seas with Nemo & Friends celebrate World Turtle Day.
At Disney’s Animal Kingdom, guests may see a turtle getting a veterinary exam, find out if they are smarter than a turtle, and get an up-close look at some of the turtles and tortoises that make their home at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and learn about how we care for them.
At The Seas with Nemo & Friends, sea turtles are the focus (naturally!). Guests can watch a sea turtle swimming gracefully by in the 5.7 million gallon saltwater main aquarium, learn about the conditions needed for sea turtles to nest successfully (did you know that female sea turtles return to the same beaches where they were hatched to lay their eggs?), and take part in an activity that follows a sea turtle hatchling on its journey to the sea, discovering how all of us can help to remove the obstacles that stand in its way.
I am very proud that the team at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and The Seas with Nemo & Friends celebrate and conserve turtles and tortoises every day. Over the years, for example, our animal care team has nursed more than 300 endangered sea turtles back to health and released them back to the wild. And since its inception, the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund has directed more than $1.1 million to sea turtle conservation efforts through more than 27 nonprofit organizations worldwide.
All of us can help turtles and tortoises by taking action to reduce, reuse and recycle, by making sure that we dispose of trash properly, and by observing turtles and other wildlife from a safe distance, taking care not to disturb them or their habitats.
Fun Fact: The word “turtle” refers to all species of turtle, including freshwater and sea turtles, box turtles and tortoises. Tortoises are turtles that live on land.
Upcoming 2012 wildlife conservation events at Disney’s Animal Kingdom (as always, dates subject to change):
- June 6: Pollinator Day
- August: Cotton-Top Tamarin Month
- Sept. 5: International Vulture Awareness Day
- Sept. 26: Elephant Awareness Day
- Oct. 31: Bat Day
And at The Seas with Nemo & Friends, celebrate World Oceans Day on June 8.
For more from the “Wildlife Wednesdays” series, see the posts below:
- Wildlife Wednesdays: See ‘Spot’ Swim at The Seas with Nemo & Friends
- Wildlife Wednesdays: Walt Disney’s Words Tell Today’s Conservation Story
- Wildlife Wednesdays: Central Florida Kids Connect with Nature During a Special Day Camp at the Walt Disney World Resort
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New Exhibit a Highlight of International Migratory Bird Day at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
posted on May 9th, 2012 by Jackie Ogden, Ph.D., Vice President, Animals, Science and Environment, Disney Parks
Just in time for this year’s International Migratory Bird Day celebration, May 12 at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, a new, permanent exhibit that tells an amazing story about a migratory bird – the endangered whooping crane – has been installed at Conservation Station. During the event, guests will have the chance to see the new exhibit, which includes an ultralight aircraft used to lead whooping cranes on their migration and talk with representatives from Operation Migration, which has played a leading role in this bird’s conservation.
Each year, a new group of hand-reared whooping cranes makes its first migration south from Wisconsin to Florida. The rare birds are led by ultralight aircraft flown by the pilots of the Operation Migration team. Threats such as habitat loss and unregulated hunting brought the whooping crane population to an alarming low of only 15 birds in the early 1940s. The Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund has supported this program since its inception in 2000 to help grow the migratory population of these cranes and to develop and refine this innovative model, which might help other species.
Scott Tidmus, one of our zoological managers, explains how our animal care team supports Operation Migration and the whooping cranes: “Disney’s Animal Kingdom animal keepers assist with the hand-rearing of chicks, and team members monitor the cranes during their initial arrival in Florida. Our veterinary team performs health exams on the chicks before they are released to start their acclimation to the wild following their migration.”
Other highlights of our International Migratory Bird Day celebration, where guests can be “honorary birds” for the day:
- Main Entrance (9 a.m. – 1 p.m.): Guests receive their bird band and a bookmark with the locations of the other “banding” stations in the park
- Oasis (9 a.m. – 1 p.m.) What is your feather color?: Guests can have their plumage (clothing) recorded.
- Tree of Life (9 a.m. – 3 p.m.) What is your leg length?: Guests will have their leg length measured and recorded.
- Asia (9 a.m. – 3 p.m.) What is your wing span?: Guests will have their arm length measured and recorded.
- Africa (9 a.m. – 3 p.m.) What is your height?: Children will have their height measured and recorded.
- Rafiki’s Planet Watch (9 a.m. – 5 p.m.) Operation Migration exhibit and a variety of other special activities
Upcoming 2012 wildlife conservation events at Disney’s Animal Kingdom (as always, dates subject to change):
- May 23: World Turtle Day
- June 6: Pollinator Day
- August: Cotton-Top Tamarin Month
- Sept. 5: International Vulture Awareness Day
- Sept. 26: Elephant Awareness Day
- Oct. 31: Bat Day
Wildlife Wednesdays: See ‘Spot’ Swim at The Seas with Nemo & Friends
posted on May 2nd, 2012 by Jackie Ogden, Ph.D., Vice President, Animals, Science and Environment, Disney Parks
The animal care team at The Seas with Nemo & Friends welcomed a pup of a different sort to the Epcot family. A spotted female eagle ray baby (the babies are called “pups”) was born on March 16.
Both the 160-pound mom and 5-pound baby are being cared for backstage at The Seas, but Mom will be back in guest view in the 5.7 million gallon saltwater main aquarium within the next few weeks and baby will follow soon after.
The pup passed her baby wellness exam with flying colors. Now, the team is monitoring her growth and training her to come to a target for feeding – her food includes clams, mussels, shrimp, squid and a special vitamin supplement.
The Seas animal care team reports that this is the second time that this mom has given birth. They are thrilled because the spotted eagle ray is a challenging animal to breed and the breeding program at The Seas is contributing to knowledge of this species’ life history to help protect them in the wild. Eagle rays, which are found worldwide in subtropical and temperate seas, are a protected species in Florida.
Spotted Eagle Ray Fun Facts:
- Spotted eagle rays, which can have an eight-foot wingspan, are known to “fly” out of the water.
- Their spots can be used to identify individual animals.
- Plates in their mouths are modified teeth, which they use to eat shellfish.
Wildlife Wednesdays: Walt Disney’s Words Tell Today’s Conservation Story
posted on April 25th, 2012 by Jackie Ogden, Ph.D., Vice President, Animals, Science and Environment, Disney Parks
As we near the end of Earth Month (and what a fantastic Earth Month it has been!), I thought I would share a brief new video about our conservation efforts that we just completed in partnership with the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund.
We started showing the video just before Earth Day at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Guests can see it when they visit Conservation Station at Rafiki’s Planet Watch, and, of course, find out more about these efforts at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, The Seas with Nemo & Friends, Disney’s Vero Beach Resort and when they travel on Disney Cruise Line ships.
We knew we wanted to include Walt Disney in the video. After all, it is thanks to Walt that conservation and the environment are such a rich part of the Disney company’s history–a passion that continues and is being built upon today.
During the course of producing the video–after hearing how perfectly Walt’s words fit the thoughts we wanted it to convey–it seemed only natural to have Walt help narrate the video.
Enjoy—and remember, every day is Earth Day!
1961 PSA with Walt Disney provided courtesy of National Wildlife Federation®
See how we celebrated Earth Day at Disney Parks in the posts below:
Wildlife Wednesdays: Party for the Planet – Including Chimpanzees – in Celebration of Earth Day at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
posted on April 4th, 2012 by Jackie Ogden, Ph.D., Vice President, Animals, Science and Environment, Disney Parks
Disney’s Animal Kingdom is hosting a Party for the Planet in celebration of Earth Day. Guests can find out what they can do to make their backyards wildlife-friendly and discover other ways to conserve wildlife and protect nature, including chimpanzees, in celebration of the release of “Chimpanzee,” Disneynature’s newest True Life Adventure.
Full-park festivities will take place on the first and last days of the celebration, April 13 and 22 (Earth Day). As guests enter the park, they can get the party started at two table displays in the main entrance area: one featuring wildlife-friendly backyard habitats and the other “Chimpanzee.”
Activities in the park include:
- Asia (Maharajah Jungle Trek)—Families can play a supermarket game and learn how their purchases can make a big difference for wildlife and wild places.
- Africa (Pangani Forest Exploration Trail)—Children can observe and identify chimpanzee tracks and clues left behind along trails as they move through the forest.
- Rafiki’s Planet Watch, courtyard—Outside Conservation Station, guests will discover fun ways to spend time in nature with their families and find “Chimpanzee”-related merchandise, as well as face painters and caricature artists.
- Rafiki’s Planet Watch, inside Conservation Station—Families can visit the Chimpanzee Research Station and participate in a variety of activities based on real conservation work. Guests also can talk with cast members who work on conservation projects around the world and learn about the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund.
Although the full-park festivities take place April 13 and 22, there will be lots for guests visiting April 13 through April 22 to see and do:
- Outside the theme park’s main entrance, a sand sculpture and display will celebrate the “Chimpanzee’ film.
- Families can visit the Chimpanzee Research Station inside Conservation Station.
- Guests can visit with special artisans in Discovery Island.
Fun Facts:
- Although we don’t have chimpanzees at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, we do have many other fascinating primates, including gorillas, siamangs, white-cheeked gibbons, colobus monkeys, cotton-top tamarins and lemurs.
- Disneynature joined forces with the Jane Goodall Institute for a special “See ‘Chimpanzee,’ Save Chimpanzees” program. For every moviegoer who sees “Chimpanzee” during the film’s opening week (April 20-26, 2012), Disneynature will make a donation to the Jane Goodall Institute through the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund in order to protect chimpanzees and their habitats.
- Walt Disney was a pioneer in wildlife documentary filmmaking, producing 13 True Life Adventure motion pictures between 1948 and 1960, including “Seal Island” (1948), “Beaver Valley” (1950), “The Living Desert” (1953) and “Jungle Cat” (1958). The films earned eight Academy Awards®.
Upcoming 2012 wildlife conservation events at Disney’s Animal Kingdom (as always, dates subject to change):
- May 12: International Migratory Bird Day
- May 23: World Turtle Day
- June 6: Pollinator Day
- August: Cotton-Top Tamarin Month
- Sept. 5: International Vulture Awareness Day
- Sept. 26: Elephant Awareness Day
- Oct. 31: Bat Day
Wildlife Wednesdays: Ostriches and Ornaments (What Do They Have in Common?) at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
posted on December 21st, 2011 by Jackie Ogden, Ph.D., Vice President, Animals, Science and Environment, Disney Parks
Start talking about holiday ornaments, and there’s probably very little chance that the conversation will lead to ostriches, except at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. That’s because at the resort each holiday season, guests get to make fun holiday ornaments using real ostrich eggs.
With help from the Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Savanna Guides, families and children use colorfully dyed ostrich egg pieces – from eggs laid by the resort’s and Disney’s Animal Kingdom ostriches – to create holiday ornaments that they can take home, creating life-long memories of the wildlife they’ve seen and learned about during their visit.
Each day, guests can choose from a variety of African animal- and culture-inspired designs to use when decorating their ornaments. A special design also is available each day that represents one of the many organizations supported by the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund (DWCF). For example, this Thursday, guests can decorate a zebra ornament while learning about a DWCF-supported zebra conservation project by the Grevy’s Zebra Trust.
Community involvement is a critical aspect of successful conservation efforts, and the Grevy’s Zebra Community Conservation project, which is helping to protect the endangered Grevy’s zebra, includes education programs for members of the local community in northern Kenya. Since 2000, DWCF has given nearly $160,000 to support zebra conservation efforts alone!
Guests who participate in the Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge ornament activity are encouraged to make a donation to help wildlife and nature, 100% of which goes to DWCF. Guests have contributed over $58,000 to DWCF since the activity began in 2003! Since 1995, DWCF has awarded nearly $18 million to support conservation programs in 111 countries. For a complete list of recipients and to view The Walt Disney Company’s most recent Conservation Report, visit www.disney.com/conservation.
If you’re visiting Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge this holiday season, you are welcome to decorate an ornament of your own – and help wildlife and nature – now through Dec. 31 from 2:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. at either the Jambo House lobby or the Kidani Village library.
Wildlife Wednesdays: Rare Pigs Ham It Up at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
posted on November 23rd, 2011 by Jackie Ogden, Ph.D., Vice President, Animals, Science and Environment, Disney Parks
Our animal care experts love to talk about how great (smart, cute, etc.) the animals in their care are – and there’s even friendly competition among the various teams. The team at Conservation Station has something new to brag about with the arrival of three kunekune pigs, a rare breed that has just made its debut at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
To help with the pigs’ care and to acclimate them to the up-close experience with guests at Affection Section, keepers have been training the kunekune pigs in a variety of behaviors. When Gene Duncan stopped by to take these photos, animal keeper Jennifer Le Beau had everyone smiling as they watched the pigs ham it up during their training session. Since the pigs are domestic animals—and very smart—they are trained to sit, stand, spin and even in agility, similar to what you might teach your dog. This training helps keeps the pigs fit, intellectually stimulated and comfortable around our guests.
Guests who visit Affection Section can see and learn about the kunekune pigs and the other rare domestic breeds that make their home there. Conserving rare domestic breeds is important because these breeds can have valuable characteristics such as disease resistance, extreme climate tolerance, and the ability to use poorer pastures. Valuable characteristics of the kunekune pig include their suitability for a range of climates, ease of management, and a lack of inclination to roam.
Found in New Zealand, but believed to be of Chinese descent, kunekune pigs were almost extinct by the 1980s. In 1984, a breeding program was begun with 18 pigs – most kunekunes today are descended from these animals. By 2004, it was estimated that there were 5,000 kunekune pigs in New Zealand.
Fun facts about kunekune pigs:
- Kunekunes are a small breed that usually weighs from 90-120 pounds when fully grown. They have a round body, a short up-turned snout and a curly tail. Some have a wattle (a fleshy growth hanging from the neck). The pigs can be black, white, ginger (red), brown or gold tipped, and their coats can be spotted, striped, marbled, solid, curly, smooth, rough, long or short.
- They are grazers and foragers. They eat shrubs, weeds, bird eggs, snakes and mice, and usually don’t root.
- Kunekunes also are known as Maori pigs after the first people of New Zealand.
- “Kunekune” means “plump” in the Maori language.
Wildlife Wednesdays: Disney VoluntEARS Create Magic (Naturally!) During Florida Coastal Cleanup
posted on November 16th, 2011 by Jackie Ogden, Ph.D., Vice President, Animals, Science and Environment, Disney Parks
More than 300 Disney VoluntEARS and their families and friends created magic this past Saturday. They made nearly 2,000 pounds of trash along four miles of coastline in Brevard County, Fla., disappear! Okay, so the magic consisted of spending several hours scouring the beach for trash big and small – finds included lots of cigarette butts, plastic wrappers, fishing line and even a broken surf board – but the result was certainly magical both for the wildlife who call the coastline and ocean home and the people who visit the beach to enjoy nature. From the squeals of delight when a bottle cap, food wrapper or other bit of plastic was found, you would have thought this dedicated cleanup crew had found Captain Jack Sparrow’s buried treasure!
The VoluntEARS from the Walt Disney World Resort and Disney Cruise Line, who were taking part in the International Coastal Cleanup, worked alongside partners from the Ocean Conservancy, Keep Brevard Beautiful, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Canaveral Port Authority. We were especially pleased this year to be joined by “bigs” and “littles” from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Florida as part of the Disney’s Friends for Change program, which encourages kids, families and friends to do community projects together, including taking action to connect with and protect nature.
Did you know that it’s the little bits of trash that are most dangerous to wildlife? Sea turtles, birds and fish often mistake them for food. Here at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, at the Wildlife Tracking Center in Conservation Station, you can hear the story of Little Crush, a rescued sea turtle that came to us with a belly full of bits of plastic. Little Crush was successfully rehabilitated and returned to the ocean.
Participating in a local beach or waterway cleanup is a great way to protect wildlife and nature—and ensure that your area’s natural wonders will inspire and nurture future generations. We all can help too by reducing waste, using reusables instead of disposables, recycling everything possible and putting trash in the proper receptacles.
For more on Disney’s environmental and conservation efforts, visit www.disney.com/conservation.
Anne Savage of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Nominated for World’s Leading Animal Conservation Award
posted on November 15th, 2011 by Jackie Ogden, Ph.D., Vice President, Animals, Science and Environment, Disney Parks
It is with tremendous pride that I share the news that a member of my team, Anne Savage, Ph.D., senior conservation biologist at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, has been nominated to receive the Indianapolis Prize, the world’s leading award for animal conservation.
This award is presented every two years to a conservationist who has devoted his or her life to saving the Earth’s endangered species. Anne has been recognized for creating numerous programs that blend conservation and education to protect the cotton-top tamarin, a critically endangered one-pound monkey found only in Colombia, South America. Specifically called out by the nominating committee is Anne’s work in establishing August 15 as the “Day of the Cotton-Top, ” now a national holiday in Colombia, which has inspired a movement in that country to save the small monkey. Also cited is Anne’s work in establishing the eco-mochila program in Los Limites, in which plastic bags are crocheted into beautiful tote bags by local Colombian women. The program not only frees local forests of plastic-bag litter but employs more than 300 women, with the bags being sold in many venues, including shops at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. You can learn more about this program at www.proyectotiti.com.
Here at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, guests may see Anne at the Wildlife Tracking Center at Conservation Station, where she and her team do real science with the fun twist that Anne is known for and inspire and inform guests about projects under way to protect and learn about such varied species as her beloved cotton-tops, sea turtles and African elephants. Guests can see cotton-top tamarins near The Tree of Life and at Rafiki’s Planet Watch.
The Indianapolis Prize nominating committee will select six finalists from the 29 nominees. The finalists will be announced in the spring 2012. The prize jury will then determine the winner, who will be announced in mid-2012 and honored at the next Indianapolis Prize Gala on Sept. 29, 2012, in Indianapolis.
In addition to receiving the $100,000 prize, the recipient also is awarded the Lilly Medal, an original work of art that signifies the winner’s contributions to conserving some of the world’s most threatened animals. The 2010 Indianapolis Prize was awarded to legendary elephant advocate Iain Douglas-Hamilton, who also was honored by the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund in 2006. A diverse group of entertainment legends, scientists and philanthropists, including Jane Alexander, Harrison Ford, Marvin Hamlisch and Carl Hiaasen are lending their support as Honorary Chairs of the 2012 Indianapolis Prize.
I know I speak for the entire Animals, Science and Environment team when I say that we are incredibly proud of Anne and all she has done for the conservation of wildlife and wild places.
Wildlife Wednesdays: Baby Elephant Jabali is Growing and Thriving at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
posted on November 9th, 2011 by Jackie Ogden, Ph.D., Vice President, Animals, Science and Environment, Disney Parks
Our Disney’s Animal Kingdom guests have been “oohing and aahing” when they see our newest baby elephant Jabali, born August 24, on the Kilimanjaro Safaris and the Wild Africa Trek. Jabali, who weighed 311 pounds at birth, is growing and thriving. Our elephant care team reports that he weighed in this week at 464 pounds!
Disney Parks Blog readers have been big fans of Jabali, so the team thought you would appreciate seeing some video we captured of Jabali with his mom, Vasha, and other members of our elephant family on the savanna. Enjoy!
See more of baby Jabali on Disney Parks Blog:
- Baby Elephant Receives Warm Welcome at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Baby Elephant Named “Jabali”– “Strong as a Rock” in Swahili
- Wildlife Wednesdays: Baby Elephant Joins Herd on Savanna at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
- Wildlife Wednesdays: Baby Elephants Jabali and Luna Are Becoming the Best of Friends at
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
