Pandas @ Animal Kingdom

[colliera]

Getting pandas isn't going to be just a matter of applying to get them. There is serious committment involved in their placement. I re-visited the Memphis Zoological Society again last weekend with my grandchildren so they could see them. Some things MZS committed to were a ten year project, a $33 million dollar center to house and display the pandas, 24 X 7 monitoring of the animals including a video center, and an eight part research plan staffed with experts doing real research work. See the pandacam here http://www.memphiszoo.org/cgi-bin/frame_set.php?key=pandacam and click on Conservation & Research, Giant Panda, in the left frame set and then Research Plan in the top menu bar.

If you don't see the pandas in the webcam try back later. It's kinda like being at the zoo. If the panda wants to sleep facing away from you behind a rock then it's too bad if you don't get your photo of one of them. They aren't there to entertain you - they are their for important research. Like any wildlife photography and viewing. You learn to wait for those moments.

Does Disney have the money to pull this off? Sure. Could they pull together a qualified team of researchers? Yes, but they probably aren't willing to pay salaries for the calibar of staff that it would need. In talking with one of the college staffers at the Living Sea in Epcot on a Backstage Tour it was clear she was there for the experience and not the pay. (Usual for intern situations). A fellow member of the tour asked later on the bus why Disney offered an oceanographer friend of his half her present salary to be on the LS staff? "Disney sells working for Disney as a benefit instead of pay.", the tour guide admitted. "It's like a lot of jobs in Florida. They sell the sun. The pay isn't that good."

Would it set AK apart from most zoos in the US? Yes, and it does make sense for them to go for this if only on a park attendance basis. Is this AK's mission? Disney marketing says it best, "nót-ä-zû" (not-a-zoo).

 

[BrerPete]

I've seen the way China deals with the Panda situation on several documentaries. Now while I'm sure they are experts, the facilities were nothing compared to the things I've seen at AK. Perhaps China has updated their facilities, but the last documentary I saw, which was a year or two ago, I saw an area that was tiny and looked more like a "New York City Housing Project" than a state of the art breeding ground.

I also was disturbed in the way they handled the animals. Again, it is China so I guess they are the experts, but I'm sure if the public viewed U.S. zoos handling the pandas, the way I saw them handled in China, then every animal rights organization would have a huge seizure.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Does Disney have the money to pull this off? Sure. Could they pull together a qualified team of researchers? Yes, but they probably aren't willing to pay salaries for the calibar of staff that it would need. In talking with one of the college staffers at the Living Sea in Epcot on a Backstage Tour it was clear she was there for the experience and not the pay. (Usual for intern situations). A fellow member of the tour asked later on the bus why Disney offered an oceanographer friend of his half her present salary to be on the LS staff? "Disney sells working for Disney as a benefit instead of pay.", the tour guide admitted. "It's like a lot of jobs in Florida. They sell the sun. The pay isn't that good."

Sure they are willing to hire the staff necessary. Jane Goodall is a Cast Member (not working there all the time, of course) at Animal Kingdom--she helped them out w/ their gorilla exhibit.

 

[colliera]

Sure they are willing to hire the staff necessary. Jane Goodall is a Cast Member (not working there all the time, of course) at Animal Kingdom--she helped them out w/ their gorilla exhibit.

I wasn't aware of that. Maybe pandas are in the cards for AK then. :sohappy:

 

[BigAL]

Pandas

In my opinion Animal Kingdom will not receive Pandas. They are very sensitive to noise and are stressed around a lot of noise. This would be tough to monitor at Animal Kingdom, especially next to an attraction line.

 

[ToTBellHop]

In my opinion Animal Kingdom will not receive Pandas. They are very sensitive to noise and are stressed around a lot of noise. This would be tough to monitor at Animal Kingdom, especially next to an attraction line.

that is why they make sound proof glass walls next to exhibits

 

[jcarriv]

I think they could build an exhibit that would shield the Pandas from excessive external stimuli.

Is animal sensitivity to loud noise the reason they do not have a fireworks closing show at DAK?

 

[speck76]

In my opinion Animal Kingdom will not receive Pandas. They are very sensitive to noise and are stressed around a lot of noise. This would be tough to monitor at Animal Kingdom, especially next to an attraction line.

I have never noticed a ton of noise at DAK, except when Tarzan Rocks is playing. Many animals are sensitive to noise (the naked mole rats can have a heart attack from sudden noise) but measure can be put in place for overcoming this...(white noise and the like).

 

[ToTBellHop]

I think they could build an exhibit that would shield the Pandas from excessive external stimuli.

Is animal sensitivity to loud noise the reason they do not have a fireworks closing show at DAK?

no...the reason for that is that they can't keep people in the park that late, so it's not worthwhile to them to have a 4th firework show. They could definitely have a show (especially over Discovery Lake) provided it consisted mostly of Fantasmic! style pyro--it would actually have to be similar to Fantasmic! and not like Wishes or Reflections of Earth.

Honestly, with some of these animals' senses of hearing, they could hear people screaming on the Tower of Terror...it really doesn't phase most of them, and those that are affected have special exhibits. If they can live through the loud Floridian thunderstorms, they can live through fireworks.

 

[xfkirsten]

I think the main reason that DAK could not have a fireworks show has little to do with noise. Rather, it is the smoke and the fallout that would cause problems. If that stuff falls into the animal exhibits it can be extremely hazardous to their health. While most people know not to eat fallout, the animals would have no clue and could ingest it and make themselves very sick.

-Kirsten

 

[ToTBellHop]

I think the main reason that DAK could not have a fireworks show has little to do with noise. Rather, it is the smoke and the fallout that would cause problems. If that stuff falls into the animal exhibits it can be extremely hazardous to their health. While most people know not to eat fallout, the animals would have no clue and could ingest it and make themselves very sick.

-Kirsten

which is one place where Disneyland's new air launching technology could help But, again, AK will never have IllumiNations...it will have to be similar to Fantasmic!

 

[speck76]

which is one place where Disneyland's new air launching technology could help But, again, AK will never have IllumiNations...it will have to be similar to Fantasmic!

They could always lauch from outside the park, like the area to the right of and behind EE, which would be visible from most of the park, and would not fall in the enclosures.

I don't see how the air-launch technology would help....the shell still explodes, and causes debris.

 

[ToTBellHop]

I was referring to Fantasmic! style shells, which explode close to the ground and the air launching technology would decrease smoke.

 

[xfkirsten]

I was referring to Fantasmic! style shells, which explode close to the ground and the air launching technology would decrease smoke.

That still probably would not work, unless they were to find a spot far from any animal exhibits. The low-level smoke it would make would be even worse than that of high-level pyro. Even here at SeaWorld, when we shoot fireworks, the launch area is quite far from any open-air enclosures, and the debris falls way out into Mission Bay.

-Kirsten

 

[DarkMeasures]

A cool night time show would not need fireworks at Animal Kingdom. Just do something along the same lines as Mannequins.

Pandas? I don't really care for them but Disney can definitly afford a Panda Exhibit. And I don't see why anyone would deny Disney of anything. Especially with the conditions of all of AK's exhibits.

 

[ToTBellHop]

That still probably would not work, unless they were to find a spot far from any animal exhibits. The low-level smoke it would make would be even worse than that of high-level pyro. Even here at SeaWorld, when we shoot fireworks, the launch area is quite far from any open-air enclosures, and the debris falls way out into Mission Bay.

-Kirsten

I'm sure Disney can figure something out. It's a 500 acre park.

 

[xfkirsten]

I'm sure Disney can figure something out. It's a 500 acre park.

500 acres, yes, but how much of that is taken up already, even by Kilimanjaro alone? Animal exhibits take up a lot of space, and what seems like a large park with plenty of room becomes increasingly smaller as you subtract the amount of land already in use.

I suppose they could expand into areas outside the current boundary of the park, but that could be quite costly. Then the question becomes whether or not the cost is worth it. As much as we want to see them put in all this stuff, Disney is a business, and DAK is not the most highly-attended park. They have to take a step back and see if putting that much money into a project is really going to bring in that much mor revenue.

-Kirsten