Animal Kingdom

[patricia27]

Do you think there are electric fences to keep animals in certain areas and keep them away from trees etc they want to grow?
I thought I spotted some spikes joined by wires which were supposed to look like twigs!! When I asked a cast member they didn`t give me a direct answer!! Which made me suspicious!!

 

[HornsofaSteer]

I know that they do use fences and trenches to keep the animals seporated, they are just really good at hiding them. I am not sure if they are electric though. If they are electric, I am sure they would never be intense enough to hurt the animal.

 

[CaptainShortty]

There are lots of artificial and natural barriers to keep certain animals in certain places. They use cattle grates, trenches, rocks and even different sounds to keep each type of animal in its own place. For example, the lions are kept up on that hill by a giant moat that causes them to stay up there. They also entice them to stay on the rocks (although it doesn't always work) by putting food, shade, cool mist up there. If you get the Travel Channel, keep an eye out for the episode about Animal Kingdom, it explains it in more detail.

 

[Spike-in-Berlin]

Partially fences, sometimes electric although completely harmless considering the strength of the electricity, partially trenches, invisible to the guests due to perspective and landscaping, sometimes acoustic devices and some special elements that exploit special behaviour of some species.

 

[Since1976]

I love that all sorts of Imagineering tricks are used to hide the barriers. A stand of tall plants may hide a fence. An apparently seamless stretch of grass may actually have a break in it hiding a moat, which would only be visible if you viewed from the opposite direction. One of the more common tricks is hidden in plain sight: tall, straight, thin, metal poles which are spread fan-like to make a fence around the animals -- their arrangement makes them easy to miss even when viewed up close (Animal Kingdom Lodge employs these fences very well).

 

[Spike-in-Berlin]

I love that all sorts of Imagineering tricks are used to hide the barriers. A stand of tall plants may hide a fence. An apparently seamless stretch of grass may actually have a break in it hiding a moat, which would only be visible if you viewed from the opposite direction. One of the more common tricks is hidden in plain sight: tall, straight, thin, metal poles which are spread fan-like to make a fence around the animals -- their arrangement makes them easy to miss even when viewed up close (Animal Kingdom Lodge employs these fences very well).

Actually those are not specific tricks of imagineering but standard procedures in zoo design. I designed a complete big cat exhibit as a student and learned about these tricks.

 

[Rob562]

There are electrified "pom-poms" (not sure how else to describe them) in a row along the ground in some places. Thin metal wires about 18" long in a starburst. They're most visible along the edges of the savannas at AKL, but I spotted a few in the gorilla enclosure in the park a few weeks ago to keep the gorillas away from a "bamboo" fence that closes in a hole in a rock wall.

It allows the Guests to still see unimpeded into the enclosure in a natural way, while keeping the animals away from ths last-defense fence in the first place.

Take a look at the aerial views of the safari on Google Maps sometime, and you can see all sorts of moats and other barriers not visible from the trucks.

-Rob

 

[MagicMegan]

I did a backstage tour last month, and was told they use things like that to keep animals in certain areas. They put the lions food on the hill, along with treats and a fan that is hidden. They also have little twig looking things on the ground that will give a little shock if stepped on, but apparently the elephants have figured these out lol.

 

[JIMINYCR]

They also have little twig looking things on the ground that will give a little shock if stepped on, but apparently the elephants have figured these out lol.

Guess Dumbo's not so dumb after all!!:ROFLOL:

 

[MagicMegan]

Guess Dumbo's not so dumb after all!!:ROFLOL:

Haha nope! She said they figured out how to step on the bottom edge just right so they don't get shocked, and can reach around and eat the plants on the other side.