Remember Rocco's Modern Life's main character Rocco? He was a wallaby, just like this awesome species in Disney's Animal Kingdom. Swamp wallabies are found around the South-East of Australia, although they are rarely seen now. As the only subspecies remaining from the Wallabia, it is definitely a special one. If you want to see one live, you can find them at the Oasis area of Animal Kingdom.
Earth Day is in 3 days, April 22nd. And of course Animal Kingdom isn't going to miss out! This year's Party for the Planet celebration is going to feature education on nature and wildlife conservation, including guests' own backyards. To celebrate the new movie "Bears," from Disneynature, there will also be educational activities on the Alaskan brown bear. At the park's entrance, guests can grab some special postcards and look at backyard-habitat displays. Then they can head down to Rafiki's Planet Watch (as mentioned in another post, my favorite ride!) and play fun games, such as a supermarket shopping game that teaches how what you buy can affect nature and wildlife. There are suggestions for what to do in nature; there are also cast members that work on conservation projects all over the world, and they're ready and willing to talk all about it. From the Disney website:Upcoming 2014 events for connecting families with nature (as always, dates subject to change) at Disney’s Animal Kingdom:
Okay, so far I've seen the giraffes, storks, ducks, bats (my favorite), many different birds, wildebeest, lions, zebras... every time I visit, I swear there's new animals. What are your favorites?
Known to my kids as "the animal ride." This is my favorite ride because you learn a LOT about the animals, especially the behind-the-scenes animal conservation efforts. You get to see exam and surgical rooms, talk to people who prepare the food and etc. for the animals, and there's a petting zoo area with exotic sheep and goats and things. I'm not a fan of the smell, but I'm a bit of a learning buff, and I'd rather my kids learn something once in a while before they go rot their brains with rollercoasters. Yes, I also go on them, but at least I know about petting an exotic goat.
Also, whatever this woman is doing with her face aside, this owl is just awesome. I live near Disney (I know, I'm so lucky. Yes, my life is better than yours... just kidding.), so when Animal Kingdom was in the works, I remember the Tree of Life becoming a thing. It's as if one day it was just fields and trees, and the next, POOF. Giant tree, right there. Obviously, it took time to get it put up and everything, but it didn't take very long at all. The Tree of Life is 145 feet tall, or 14 stories. It's 50 feet wide and its trunk is intricately 'carved' with animals from all over the world. (It also has a Hidden Mickey, but I won't spoil it and tell you were it is. Yes, I do know.) The tree wasn't the first choice for a park icon; others included a three-tier carousel (animals of the ground, see, and sky) and Noah's Ark. Personally, I like the tree best, but, meh.
Since we have so many hurricanes, the tree had to, you know, not fall over and squish people. Also, the leaves are placed individually, and blow in the wind- all 103,000+ of them. Inside the tree is the A Bug's Life show, not my favorite but good to watch at least once. My favorite trivia is that my daughter thought they'd flown in a real tree. Disney Magic, ladies and gents. Hey, all; I'm an animal fan, starting this blog for fun. I've always been impressed with the way a theme park can help rescue and take care of animals, and I hope you will be, too. Have fun reading!
eric. |