Behind-the-scenes look at Kilimanjaro Safaris at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - When you hop on the Kilimanjaro Safari at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, you’ll ride through the Harambe Wildlife Reserve, and you’ll see over 30 different species and more than 100 animals as you travel through open plains, shady forest landscapes, and rocky wetlands.
During the ride, FOX 35 saw elephants, lions, rhinos, cheetahs, mandrills, zebras, hippos, and more, all while our guide, Mollie Taylor, was sharing facts about them along the way.
No 18-minute ride is the same either as you’ll see different animals and learn different facts.
"This is one of the biggest games of hide and seek I've ever played in my life because I never know where they’re going to be, like that elephant that just moved to the right," Taylor pointed out during the ride.
Some of the animals are endangered or threatened. The terrain is designed to look and feel like African habitats, so the animals feel at home.
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"There's not many places that you can go, except for actual safaris in Africa, to be able to have those interactions," said Taylor. "By seeing the animals, by interacting with the guests, letting the guests know how these animals interact with one another, how they feed in the wild, how they move and roam around, and how we can help impact their environments with the actions that we do."
Taylor hopes she can inspire others, especially the younger generation.
"Hoping that a child will come up and be like, hey, I would love to know more about the zebras," Taylor explained. "To help them get into more of an environmental action program. Maybe they want to become a zookeeper."
Taylor has dreamed of becoming a safari guide since she visited Animal Kingdom when it first opened in 1998. Now, she’s grateful to share her knowledge of these animals every day.
"I love when guests ride my truck and then get off at the end and they're coming up. They're like, can I ask you a question? That's such a big part of my day, knowing that I'm helping to make a difference in the guests' lives as well as the animals."