Giant Panda's at Animal Kingdom?

[janoimagine]

Panda Watch. The mood is tense; I have been on some serious, serious reports but nothing quite like this. I uh... Ching... King is inside right now. I tried to get an interview with him, but they said no, you can't do that he's a live bear, he will literally rip your face off.


Sorry I just had too ...

 

[powlessfamily4]

If you've never seen a panda in person, when you do see one live it is an amazing experience. Being that they are so rare in the US, the majority of the population haven't seen them. They are an extremely cute and playful animal (unless you see older ones who don't play much). I had the good fortune of seeing Tai Shan @ the National Zoo i(n DC in 2009 before being sent to China) and it was amazing. My son grew up loving pandas and seeing them for the first time @ 8yrs old brought tears of joy to his eyes (then to mine seeing him cry).

The exhibit would cost a large amount of money but what it will do for attendance will offset it quickly. Disney would have to become part of the breeding process program with China and that program has done extraordinary things for the Giant Panda population bringing them back from the brink of extinction. Say what you want about the Chinese gov't but they took control of the panda situation; designed and implemented a program for their survival and it's been nothing short of fantastic. Unfortuantely the success in the US hasn't been as good. Of the 4 zoos in the US that have Pandas, there have not been many births. Atlanta has been the most successful in recent years but Memphis has not, DC has only had one cub and San Diego has had intermittent success. Atlanta's recent "litter" was a huge accomplishment and they should be very proud. Disney's conservation and breeding reputation efforts would do tremendous things to help with that process.

The Chinese gov't does "rent" the pandas but they do it for breeding purposes and then those cubs (most likely) get brought back to China to be the "studs" to continue to grow the panda population (i.e. Tai Shan).

You should check out the panada cam at Zoo Atlanta and then look at the gallery. Po is our newest cub and has quite the personality!

 

[RSoxNo1]

Any idea what else is on the wish list?

I had heard Asian Elephants and Giant Pandas a while ago. I also remember there was an Asian Safari that was Blue Sky around the time the park was in development that would have included Yaks, Musk Ox, Snow Leopards and presumably other animals. I believe there's a list of the animals somewhere in Asia, perhaps on the pathway between the Gibbons and Everest.

 

[yoda_5729]

I had heard Asian Elephants and Giant Pandas a while ago. I also remember there was an Asian Safari that was Blue Sky around the time the park was in development that would have included Yaks, Musk Ox, Snow Leopards and presumably other animals. I believe there's a list of the animals somewhere in Asia, perhaps on the pathway between the Gibbons and Everest.

These would be cool if added, but I would think one of the biggest problems to adding them is the warm weather found in Central Florida. Especially with the Yak and Musk Ox, as those two have so much fur to keep them warm, and they'd probably overheat in the Florida sunshine. They could do an indoor exhibit, but Animal Kingdom has yet to have animals in indoor inclosures, except on the small scale like small frogs, insects, reptiles etc. It would be cool to see those though.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

I was at Asia once and we walked up to the Blackbuck/Benteng/Peacock/Eld's Deer inclosure. All those animal were however hiding and all that could be seen, was some nice peaceful geese sitting in the shade very close to the bridge and a crane standing on the hillside. The kids, and their parents looked down and said it was just some stupid geese, like they were the common Canadian Geese they have back home. Those geese in question were bar-headed geese. They are famous and were a segment on Planet Earth as they migrate over Mount Everest every year. The crane on the hillside is the tallest flying bird in the world, the Sarus Crane.

Excellently put! This is why I never grow tired of animals, I marvel at them forever. There is so much to see and learn and wonder about. Animals are truly magical, they affect you on a deep primal level.

The more AK is about animals, real and extinct, the more I shall love the park. To say that I have a zoo nearby where I live, would be akin to saying that I have an amusement park nearby. Disney has the scale and the amount of visitors to kick the experience up a notch, the way the MK trancends the local amusement park fare.

 

[MarkTwain]

If you've never seen a panda in person, when you do see one live it is an amazing experience. Being that they are so rare in the US, the majority of the population haven't seen them. They are an extremely cute and playful animal (unless you see older ones who don't play much). I had the good fortune of seeing Tai Shan @ the National Zoo i(n DC in 2009 before being sent to China) and it was amazing. My son grew up loving pandas and seeing them for the first time @ 8yrs old brought tears of joy to his eyes (then to mine seeing him cry).

The exhibit would cost a large amount of money but what it will do for attendance will offset it quickly. Disney would have to become part of the breeding process program with China and that program has done extraordinary things for the Giant Panda population bringing them back from the brink of extinction. Say what you want about the Chinese gov't but they took control of the panda situation; designed and implemented a program for their survival and it's been nothing short of fantastic. Unfortuantely the success in the US hasn't been as good. Of the 4 zoos in the US that have Pandas, there have not been many births. Atlanta has been the most successful in recent years but Memphis has not, DC has only had one cub and San Diego has had intermittent success. Atlanta's recent "litter" was a huge accomplishment and they should be very proud. Disney's conservation and breeding reputation efforts would do tremendous things to help with that process.

The Chinese gov't does "rent" the pandas but they do it for breeding purposes and then those cubs (most likely) get brought back to China to be the "studs" to continue to grow the panda population (i.e. Tai Shan).

I too had the fortune of visiting Tai Shan just after his first birthday in 2006, when he was still tiny. He was adorable. Not to mention that the line to see his exhibit snaked throughout the zoo. I could easily see a panda bringing similarity notoriety to DAK, especially if they can get a baby.

Panda Watch. The mood is tense; I have been on some serious, serious reports but nothing quite like this. I uh... Ching... King is inside right now. I tried to get an interview with him, but they said no, you can't do that he's a live bear, he will literally rip your face off.


Sorry I just had too ...

Come on! This is getting to be ri-god#@$n-diculous!!

 

[drew81]

I had heard Asian Elephants and Giant Pandas a while ago. I also remember there was an Asian Safari that was Blue Sky around the time the park was in development that would have included Yaks, Musk Ox, Snow Leopards and presumably other animals. I believe there's a list of the animals somewhere in Asia, perhaps on the pathway between the Gibbons and Everest.

That would be amazing. I wish there was a way they could include Orangutans somewhere.

 

[RSoxNo1]

That would be amazing. I wish there was a way they could include Orangutans somewhere.

I think Pandas would have to be showcased in an exhibit similar to Maharajah Jungle Trek and Pangani Forest, but I think if there is going to be another animal based ride, it can't be done the same way Kilimanjaro Safaris is done. It needs to be a different ride system and large gondolas seem to be the logical choice. The problem is they would have to be fully enclosed for animal safety, and they would have to be very large for capacity purposes.

With all this said, Avatar is the next project - and I can't imagine there would be a substantial project opening in the Animal Kingdom prior to Avatar.

 

[Hakunamatata]

It needs to be a different ride system and large gondolas seem to be the logical choice. The problem is they would have to be fully enclosed for animal safety, and they would have to be very large for capacity purposes.

KC zoo has something similar to this although on a smaller scale. They have a ski lift type set up with two person open lift chairs that carries you over their African animal exhibit. Problem is, you can see stuff that was dropped out of the chair all along the path of the lift. There are signs posted before you get on stating that anything dropped can not be retrieved until after operating hours and will likely be returned in a condition that it was not dropped in because the animals use these items to alleviate boredom. :lol:

 

[drew81]

I think Pandas would have to be showcased in an exhibit similar to Maharajah Jungle Trek and Pangani Forest, but I think if there is going to be another animal based ride, it can't be done the same way Kilimanjaro Safaris is done. It needs to be a different ride system and large gondolas seem to be the logical choice. The problem is they would have to be fully enclosed for animal safety, and they would have to be very large for capacity purposes.

With all this said, Avatar is the next project - and I can't imagine there would be a substantial project opening in the Animal Kingdom prior to Avatar.

I wonder if a water safari would work for Asia?

 

[yoda_5729]

In all honesty, I love Kilimanjaro Safaris, but I wouldn't be too keen on the idea of doing another ride similar to it. I know the paths with animals can be quite unoriginal and bland, but my parents who both have medical problems can't go on Kilimanjaro Safaris because of the bumps. Also for photographers the constant bumps and always moving forward can make the experience a bit annoying.

That being said I still love Kilimanjaro Safaris and it is always the very first attraction I go to in Animal Kingdom, but there are a ton of animals you can see on that ride, but if you can't go on that ride there is no way for you to see dozens upon dozens of species. Elephants, Cheetahs, Lions, etc. cannot be seen anywhere else except from that ride.

A gondola, skytram, water ride, and others might be fun for some, but to people who hate getting wet, or heights, then that'd be even more animals they possibly wouldn't be able to see, which I'm not very into. I very much enjoy the paths with animals. All this being said I do still like Kilimanjaro Safaris for the experience, though my parents haven't been on it in a decade.

 

[RSoxNo1]

I wonder if a water safari would work for Asia?

I think it could, but there would have to be little to no physical thrill to the ride in terms of drops or rapids. Many people liked the idea of Tiger River Run, but you have to consider that people want to photograph the animals. If you have the thrill component comparable to Pirates of the Caribbean it could work, but I think the likelier choice would be Jurassic Park River Adventure.

The other issue is that these types of boat rides have very good capacity, but still not as high as Kilimanjaro Safaris. I would think that another large scale animal based ride should have a capacity of more than 2500 guests per hour.

 

[ToTBellHop]

I wonder if a water safari would work for Asia?

Isn't that what Tiger Rapids Run...errrr...Kali River Rapids was supposed to be?

 

[janoimagine]

Also for photographers the constant bumps and always moving forward can make the experience a bit annoying.

Nah ... you just need to know how to shoot quick. After all, animals don't pose. :shrug:

 

[RSoxNo1]

Also for photographers the constant bumps and always moving forward can make the experience a bit annoying.

Nah ... you just need to know how to shoot quick. After all, animals don't pose. :shrug:

If I have any criticism about Kilimanjaro Safaris is that it's very difficult to take good pictures. This is obviously a function of both the terrain and throughput issues.

My understanding on Tiger River Run was that there would be calm portions for the tigers as well as rapids portions but still photography would be an issue.

 

[sethworld]

How about a boat ride system like pirates? Slow moving, continuous loading boats that hold a good number of people. The boats could go both in and outside locations and have a similar feel as the living with the land ride in Epcot.

 

[Master Yoda]

If I have any criticism about Kilimanjaro Safaris is that it's very difficult to take good pictures. This is obviously a function of both the terrain and throughput issues.

My understanding on Tiger River Run was that there would be calm portions for the tigers as well as rapids portions but still photography would be an issue.

A decent continuous shooting mode solves that problem.

 

[WDW1974]

I need to be careful 'cause when I post anything about China the threads get taken out to a rice paddy and shot in the back of the head and buried!!!

That said, as someone who has worked in China for six months in the past three years with some folks involved in the talks I can tell you that getting pandas for DAK was on Iger's wish/negotiation/extortion list when dealing with the Central Government over SDL. BUT ... it wasn't exactly a priority ... not when compared with things like getting a Disney Channel in China (fail), more penetration for Disney theatrical releases (fail) and more govn't attention to fake Disney goods produced in the mainland (mostly fail).

I have no idea if DAK will see pandas, but my gut says it is likely at some point in the future.

As to their merits, well, they are beautiful creatures. But so are many others (like the ones slaughtered in Ohio after that crazy dude let them loose and offed himself!). They can be boring to look at as they tend to sleep a lot. I spent a lot of time watching them on their backs spread-eagled snoring at HK's Ocean Park.

The red pandas there (much smaller) tend to be much more active and playful and, frankly, excited me more because they ... well, moved around.

~GFC~

 

[NoChesterHester]

I know Pandas are a big draw for a traditional zoo, but would they really provide an attendance boost to Animal Kingdom? It's NOTAZOO remember.

 

[RSoxNo1]

A decent continuous shooting mode solves that problem.

For those of us too incompetent to use anything other than the basic setting on my overly complex point and shoot. I use a flash on the Safari to eliminate blur and then the refresh rate becomes an issue so I only get one chance at each of the photos.

I need to be careful 'cause when I post anything about China the threads get taken out to a rice paddy and shot in the back of the head and buried!!!

That said, as someone who has worked in China for six months in the past three years with some folks involved in the talks I can tell you that getting pandas for DAK was on Iger's wish/negotiation/extortion list when dealing with the Central Government over SDL. BUT ... it wasn't exactly a priority ... not when compared with things like getting a Disney Channel in China (fail), more penetration for Disney theatrical releases (fail) and more govn't attention to fake Disney goods produced in the mainland (mostly fail).

I have no idea if DAK will see pandas, but my gut says it is likely at some point in the future.

As to their merits, well, they are beautiful creatures. But so are many others (like the ones slaughtered in Ohio after that crazy dude let them loose and offed himself!). They can be boring to look at as they tend to sleep a lot. I spent a lot of time watching them on their backs spread-eagled snoring at HK's Ocean Park.

The red pandas there (much smaller) tend to be much more active and playful and, frankly, excited me more because they ... well, moved around.

~GFC~

Red Pandas have been hit or miss. The have them at two of the local zoos - in one exhibit I always see them playing in the other you're lucky if you see a tail.

I've suggested that the use the former Malayan Tapir/current Bar-Headed Geese enclosure for Red Pandas. I know a while ago it was mentioned that Langur Monkeys were a possibility there but I don't know if that's changed.