You can find out how smart turtles are – and have a lot of other fun, too – when Disney’s Animal Kingdom celebrates World Turtle Day, Wednesday, May 25, from 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. at Rafiki’s Planet Watch.

World Turtle Day encourages us to take action to help turtles and tortoises survive and thrive. At Disney’s Animal Kingdom, guests can celebrate by getting an up-close look at some of the turtles and tortoises that make their home at the park, and hear how they can support turtle conservation efforts.

This year, families also can learn about the exciting research that we’re conducting on the intelligence of turtles – and meet our test subjects!

This exciting study has been led by Research Manager Katie Leighty, Ph.D., Research Fellow Alison Grand, Ph.D., and our Education and Science team in partnership with our Animal Operations team. The study centers on Flippy and Mario, two eastern box turtles, with the purpose of finding out how turtles view their world. The question at hand: Can turtles tell the difference between two different colored paddles when a food treat is used as an incentive? Not only could these smart turtles always pick the correct paddle, but they also could pick the correct paddle when they were different shades of the same color!

Katie tells us that the coolest finding in the study is that Flippy and Mario learned to make these hard choices without any training. They just took what they knew about the black and white paddles and applied that knowledge to different shades of gray – and even to shades of blue. This ability to look at the relationship between two objects and make a choice is a skill that doesn’t develop in human children until they are in elementary school, and even then is something they can struggle with.

You can watch our brilliant turtles in the window of the reptile room in Conservation Station at Rafiki’s Planet Watch during the World Turtle Day celebration at 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., or regularly on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 2:30 p.m. (subject to change based on the turtles and the researchers’ calendars).

To-date, Disney’s animal care teams have nursed more than 300 endangered sea turtles back to health and released them back to the wild. The Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund has directed more than $800,000 to sea turtle conservation efforts through more than 60 programs worldwide.

Watch the Disney Parks Blog for information on other upcoming conservation events at Disney’s Animal Kingdom:

July 27 – International Year of the Forest Celebration

August – Cotton-top Tamarin Month Celebration

September 1 – International Vulture Awareness Day

October 26 – Year of the Bat Celebration

Tagged: Conservation, DAK, WDW

Filed: Disney's Animal Kingdom, Walt Disney World Resort

Saving endangered species means protecting animals as big as elephants and as tiny as tadpoles. Last week, the smaller creatures were the focus when more than 2,700 critically endangered Puerto Rican crested toad tadpoles, carefully nurtured by our animal care team at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, were released in a protected pond in the northwestern region of Puerto Rico. The release was part of an effort to repopulate the species to an area where these native tadpoles once thrived but are now considered extinct. The tiny tadpoles joined more than 3,000 others that are the result of Association of Zoos and Aquarium (AZA) Species Survival Plan breeding programs at the Fort Worth Zoo and the Jacksonville Zoo. The crested toad, which is threatened by habitat loss and non-native species, is the only toad native to Puerto Rico.

This is the first group of Puerto Rican crested toad tadpoles raised at Disney’s Animal Kingdom to be released to the wild. Andy Daneault, our Assistant Curator of Ectotherms*, tells us the team hopes to raise tadpoles for future releases once or twice a year, depending on the needs of the recovery program.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom, with the help of Eduardo Valdes, Ph.D., who heads our Animal Nutrition Center, has been involved with the Puerto Rican crested toad recovery program since 2001. In addition to breeding the toads, we’ve also been educating community members about the threats to this endangered species and evaluating the nutritional needs of the tadpoles and adult toads.

The Puerto Rican crested toad is one of many amphibian species facing serious population decline. According to some estimates, as many as one-third of the known amphibian species may be threatened by extinction because of loss of habitat, climate change, pollution and disease. Frogs and other amphibians play an essential role in the ecosystems of the world and are keenly attuned to changes in the environment. They are considered an “indicator” species, meaning they can provide an early warning for endangered ecosystems. In addition, frogs provide valuable scientific and medical benefits to humans. The skin of amphibians contains substances that can protect them from some microbes and viruses, which can offer possible medical cures for a variety of human diseases, including AIDS.

The AZA-accredited facilities, which includes Disney’s Animal Kingdom, that are participating in the crested toad Species Survival Plan are working with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Puerto Rican Department of Natural and Ecological Resources.

The Puerto Rican crested toad reintroduction and conservation education program is one of the many ways that Disney’s Animal Programs cast members take their passion and commitment for conservation beyond Disney Parks. Disney supports cast members in developing Cast Conservation Programs, participating in local, national and international field conservation programs to study wildlife and ecosystems around the globe – making a difference for the planet.

Guests visiting Disney’s Animal Kingdom can learn about the toad recovery program when they visit Conservation Station in Rafiki’s Planet Watch. To learn more about Disney conservation efforts, visit www.disney.com/conservation.

*Wondering what an “ectotherm” is? It’s an animal whose body temperature regulation depends on external sources, such as sunlight or a heated rock surface

Tagged: Conservation, DAK, WDW

Filed: Disney's Animal Kingdom, Walt Disney World Resort

Last weekend, I had the privilege of joining nearly 100 Disney VoluntEARS and hundreds of our Orlando, Fla., neighbors to help green up and clean up one of the city’s neighborhoods.

As an early celebration of Earth Day, VoluntEARS planted oak, magnolia and crape-myrtle trees along the neighborhood’s streets and removed debris including a bicycle, automobile tires and a few signs from a beautiful local waterway, Lake Fran. The goal was not only to have an immediate impact on the neighborhood but also to contribute to the long-term preservation of habitat and wildlife. As a company with an enduring commitment to environmental conservation, we’re passionate about inspiring our cast members, guests and neighbors to protect nature.

This is the first year that Disney VoluntEARS collaborated with both Green-Up Orlando and Keep Orlando Beautiful as part of their Earth Day activities. I’m proud to share a brief video of the event. You can get involved in conservation at www.disney.com/environment.

See more ways Disney VoluntEARS have given back to the community:

• Disney VoluntEARS Build Dream Playground in Less Than a Day
• Tamalada Event with Disney VoluntEARS
• Nearly 500 VoluntEARS Make a Wave – and Do the Wave! – During Ocean Cleanup

Tagged: Conservation, Video, VoluntEARS, WDW

Filed: Community Outreach, Walt Disney World Resort

I’m very proud to say that connecting with nature is an everyday passion for the 62,000 cast members at Walt Disney World Resort. As part of this commitment, cast members are challenging themselves this Earth Day to double the 10,000 conservation pledges they made last year to reduce their carbon footprint.

Inspired by the upcoming Earth Day release of the Disneynature film “African Cats,” cast members are focusing their efforts on making a difference for animals and nature. Connecting with nature can mean something different to each of us. But no matter how we answer the question, “What’s your nature?” all of us can help to protect the natural world.

Cast members hope to reach 20,000 pledges by adding one more environmentally-friendly commitment to their work and home routines. Some of their ideas include:

• Raising thermostats by two degrees in the summer and lowering them by two degrees in the winter.
• Using reusable shopping bags, utensils and drinking containers.
• Eating sustainably-caught or farmed seafood.
• Recycling anything and everything possible.
• Minimizing the use of pesticides and fertilizers.
• Reducing water use by installing low-flow shower heads and turning off the faucet while brushing teeth.

Environmental conservation is a long journey. Take a look at the video to find out how five cast members carried out their pledge during the past year. You can get involved in conservation at www.disney.com/environment.

Tagged: Conservation, Video, WDW

Filed: Walt Disney World Resort

Cheetahs are one of the two species of big cats (lions are the other) featured in the new Disneynature film, “African Cats,” which premieres on Earth Day (April 22).

Right here at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Guests can see cheetahs on the Kilimanjaro Safaris. In celebration of the soon-to-be released film, I thought I’d share a couple photos of the cheetahs that make their home at Disney’s Animal Kingdom as well as a few cheetah fun facts from the Educator’s Guide developed by members of the Disney’s Animal Programs team and available on the “African Cats” website.

Did you know?

• Cheetahs are like track stars, with every part designed for speed. When they spot prey they can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in only three seconds. That’s faster than most cars! At full speed, a cheetah can run 70 mph for short distances and cover an amazing 92 feet in a single second.
• Long legs, a flexible collar bone and a springy backbone that bends in both directions help cheetahs take long, ground-covering strides. A cheetah moving at top speed can cover over 20 feet in a single stride.
• Like cleats on a track shoe, the cheetah’s long claws help them grip the ground as they run. Unlike those of other cats, the claws of a cheetah are always extended. In fact, cheetahs are the only cats that can’t fully retract their claws.
• Enlarged nostrils, heart, lungs, liver and sinuses provide the cheetah’s muscles with the extra oxygen and blood they need to function at top speeds. The cheetah’s adaptations help the cheetah to stretch further, take longer strides and run faster than any other land mammal.
• Cheetahs have fantastic vision that helps them spot prey as far as 3 miles away. The dark tear marks below the eyes may help keep the sun’s glare out of their eyes, similar to sunglasses.
• Their tawny coat with round black spots helps the cheetah blend into grasses and breaks up a cheetah’s silhouette, making it easier to hide from other predators and stalk prey.

You can help cheetahs and other African wildlife by seeing Disneynature’s “African Cats” during the film’s opening week — a portion of the proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to the African Wildlife Foundation through the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund to ensure the future of lions, cheetahs, elephants, zebras, giraffes and a host of other animals on the African savanna.

The DWCF has contributed more than $900,000 to cat conservation projects since 1995. Of this, more than $350,000 has benefited cat species in Africa. To learn more about how the DWCF is helping cheetahs, lions and other species in Africa and around the world, visit www.disney.com/conservation.

Take a closer look at more of the animals that call Disney’s Animal Kingdom home:

• Wildlife Wednesdays: Tigers Tales
• Wildlife Wednesdays: Gerenuk and Giraffe ‘Stick Their Necks Out’
• Wildlife Wednesdays: Meerkat and Warthog (aka Timon and Pumbaa)

Tagged: Conservation, DAK, WDW

Filed: Disney's Animal Kingdom, Walt Disney World Resort

Last March, we welcomed rescued manatee Jasper to The Seas with Nemo & Friends. Our hope was to be able to release him back to his natural habitat in about a year, after he gained weight and received medical care for cold stress.

I am very pleased to report that Jasper did very well, and our Animal Programs team released him in the Indian River Lagoon on the Atlantic Coast of Florida on February 22. By that afternoon, we had received a report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission that Jasper was cavorting with a group of 30 other manatees.

The same day, Animal Programs animal care experts brought another rescued manatee, Vail, to The Seas. Vail has been cared for in manatee rehabilitation facilities since he was injured nearly 15 years ago due to a watercraft strike. A portion of his tail paddle is missing – an injury similar to that of The Seas resident manatee, Lou. Vail became comfortable in his new habitat at The Seas very quickly – he had eaten 10 heads of lettuce within a couple of hours of arrival!

Guests can see Vail and Lou, shown here in a photo by Gene Duncan, when they visit Epcot.

With only 5,000 around the state, manatees are considered an endangered species in Florida. We are very proud to play a role in their rehabilitation. Disney guests also play an important role through their contributions to the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund.

Recent Wildlife Wednesdays:

• Wildlife Wednesdays: Making Toad Abodes and Other Ways to ‘Spring Forward’ to Help Amphibians
• Wildlife Wednesdays: Bringing Children and Wildlife Together
• Wildlife Wednesdays: Tigers Tales

Tagged: Conservation, Epcot, WDW

Filed: Epcot, Walt Disney World Resort

A very popular spot on the Maharajah Jungle Trek at Disney’s Animal Kingdom is the tiger viewing area. Guests really enjoy watching these magnificent animals, the largest of all wild cats, and asking questions of our Cast Members as they share “tiger tales.” For example, did you know that a tiger’s stripes help it hunt? The stripes break up their outline, helping tigers to remain undetected as they close in on their prey in their forest homes. And not only is a tiger’s fur striped, but its skin underneath is too.

Unlike some other cats, tigers seem to enjoy water and can swim well. They use rivers and lakes to seek relief from the heat and to catch fish.

Tigers once were found throughout central and southern Asia and as far west as eastern Turkey. Human population growth has dramatically reduced tigers’ habitat. As happens throughout the world, animals and people compete for space. Protecting the forests for tigers and other wildlife is very important. One way you can help is by purchasing products made of sustainable wood or bamboo.

The Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund (DWCF) has contributed more than $167,000 to 11 projects supporting tiger conservation. In 2010, for example, DWCF awarded a grant to the Wildlife Conservation Society to assist in outfitting and training Thai rangers to patrol critical tiger habitat along the Thailand-Myanmar border, one of the largest protected areas in Southeast Asia and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Tiger fun facts:

• During the day tigers can see about as well as humans, but their night vision is six times more powerful.
• Like their eyesight, tigers’ hearing is very sensitive. Their ears turn independently of each other and in an arc up to 180 degrees, allowing them to pick up sounds from different directions.
• Tigers use their whiskers as “feelers,” helping these large cats to navigate their way through dark and heavily wooded areas.

Tagged: DAK, WDW

Filed: Disney's Animal Kingdom, Walt Disney World Resort