Animal Kingdom opening controversy

[Al]

does anyone remember this? i remember it being in all the press that before AK had even opened some of the animals had died, etc etc, and David Attenborough (a famous person in the UK for making animal documentaries) said it was a fantastic place, but people were heavily criticising disney. Does anyone else remember ?

 

[Bryy2001]

Actually yes, it's true. There was some major controversy when AK opened. First of all, a lot of the original animals there did not adapt as good as Disney would have hoped, many died within the first month of opening, and whats worse is that a lot of the animals on the safari ride were getting run over by the buses (being not used to them), as strange as it sounds. Plus there were animal rights protesters picketing at the entrance of the park claiming it was just another zoo and that AK was no better than any of the other zoos. But as we see now, the place is totally amazing and the animals there are thriving and it is ANYTHING but just another zoo.

 

[wdwmagic]

Originally posted by Bryy2001
many died within the first month of opening, and whats worse is that a lot of the animals on the safari ride were getting run over by the buses (being not used to them), as strange as it sounds.

From all the reports I heard and read, it wasnt a case of LOTS of animals being ran over. There were a few isolated cases of some birds finding there way underneath wheels of the vehicles.

 

[MassFan]

I remember all sorts of wildlife groups having a field day over that. But it hasn't stopped people from going to AK.

 

[The Mom]

There is always a risk of fatalities when animals are transported, especially large animals (or any animals) who might have to be sedated. People who have spent any time around zoos know this, although the deaths aren't usually made public. However, AK was the first "completely" new animal park in ages...that is, HUNDREDS of animals were brought in at once (relatively speaking.) It is wonderful that so few animals were killed/hurt during the process. This is a credit to Disney's planning and concern.

Whether AK, or any zoo/animal park, for that matter, should even exist is another story.

 

[jcmayid]

I bet those animal rights activists shut their mouths once they saw how un-zoo like this park is! These animals are not kept in cages and the enviroment is very similar to where they'd live if they were in the wild. Actually, some would even die out in the wild. Of course there were problems in the beginning. Things like that have to happen in order for them to learn from it & prevent it from happening again. I think AK turned out to be an amazingly wonderful park!!!

 

[BradleyJ]

It wasn't lots, it was like 2 or 3 birds died, right near opening.

Also, since Disney received all of these animals as part of an exchange program with other zoo's.

Many of them turned out to be ill, and sick when they arrived, and did not adjust well. Which is why some of them died. So basically Disney was blamed for others zoo's, giving them their old and sick animals.

Probably the only one that was fully blamed on Disney, was the death of some Cheetah cubs. Somehow some Anti freeze, leaked out of a truck, parked near the cages, and the run off got to the cubs and they got poisoned.

 

[jcmayid]

Well that explains a lot!!! Wow, sorry to hear about those cubs though

 

[Pioneer Hall]

i know that a gorilla died there also, but it had nothing to do with Disney caring for them. It seems that two gorillas got in to a fight and one took a bit out of another. The wound was bad, and got infected and the vets couldn't do much for it, so they put it to sleep to keep it out it's misery.

 

[BradleyJ]

Forgot about the gorilla, that was within this last year I think.

 

[djmatthews]

There was some controversy about the fact that cooling systems were installed on KS so that the Lions would be attracted to the "coolness". These cooling systems were strategically placed on safari so that the guests got a good view of the lions.

 

[DonickCo]

Thats cool.

-DonickCo

 

[jcmayid]

VERY NEAT!!!

 

[Tramp]

Go to the following website to read some pretty interesting articles that were written in the Orlando Sentinel ...it's a documented year by year history of the Animal Kingdom and there are articles about the animals being killed by trucks or dying some other way:

Animal Kingdom History

 

[Testtrack321]

Originally posted by jcmayid
I bet those animal rights activists shut their mouths once they saw how un-zoo like this park is! These animals are not kept in cages and the enviroment is very similar to where they'd live if they were in the wild. Actually, some would even die out in the wild. Of course there were problems in the beginning. Things like that have to happen in order for them to learn from it & prevent it from happening again. I think AK turned out to be an amazingly wonderful park!!!

Ya, but the animals are still there for the pleasure of humans, entertainment or education. I love AK, but this is just another spot on the controversy on animal rights.

 

[jcmayid]

AK Natahzu

Yes true, but in my opinion I see zoos different than AK. :sohappy: But that is a whole other issue I don't want to get into!!! :brick:

:drevil: Don't be scared Mini-Me!!!

 

[djmatthews]

Great link Tramp.

Having read some of the articles there is a mention of a new large scale water park that may be built in the AK area . There is also talks of Beastly Kingdom.