Disney Plans Closer Animal Encounters for Kilimanjaro Safaris

While Disney cannot predict which animals you'll encounter on Kilimanjaro Safaris, they hope to add an enhanced way to interact with them. See how this may change your next adventure.

Kilimanjaro Safari

Kilimanjaro Safaris is a staple at Animal Kingdom. The experience takes guests on an 18-minute tour of the Harambe Wildlife Reserve. 

Here, guests can encounter a variety of animals. During the ride, they might spot lions, giraffes, zebras, hippos, warthogs, rhinos, okapi, and dozens of other species of threatened and endangered animals.

Part of the beauty of the attraction is that no two tours are ever exactly alike! The time of day, weather, and unpredictable animal behaviors can affect what you see each time. At times, the Cast Members are just as surprised as the guests as they journey through the safari.

Kilimanjaro Safaris Cast Members

The Cast Members truly are the magic of this attraction as they not only navigate the difficult terrain, but also look for the many wildlife that can be pretty well hidden throughout this attraction.

Of course, this is also while they fully narrate this adventure and keep an eye out to ensure that all guests remain seated and are safe within the attraction vehicle.

Disney just filed a new patent, "Techniques for Automatically Monitoring Animal Behaviors and Generating Notifications," to report animal activity. While the patent does not specifically list for Disney's Animal Kingdom, it would appear to be the perfect location for this technology.

New Patent for Animal Encounters

The proposed plan would use video cameras located throughout the animal enclosures, mounted on vehicles, and even on drones. Once a camera detects which animals are present, along with their activity, it could send an alert to a mobile device.

This could alert Cast Members that emergency help is needed or even that a driving path is blocked. However, if this patent is approved, it could also bring a greater Kilimanjaro Safaris experience by alerting Guests and Cast Members to animals to view at each location.

A new patent could bring animal alerts to Guests and Cast Members aboard Kilimanjaro Safaris.

While this is still just a published patent, it will still need approval and may take several years to reach its final destination. We have our fingers crossed that this could bring magic to Kilimanjaro Safaris in the future.

What do you think of this possible technology added to Kilimanjaro Safaris? Share your thoughts with us, and share this news with your Disney pals.