Innovation and technology are the driving forces of creativity at Walt Disney World, and not just with theme park attractions, but also enhancing the lives of the many animals in Disney’s care. Disney’s teams continue to raise the bar and innovate, developing new techniques and inventions to engage our animals and encourage their natural behaviors to provide mental and physical stimulation and ultimately enhance their overall wellbeing.
Aaron Wockenfuss/Walt Disney World
Collaborating with the creative minds at Walt Disney Imagineering, the animal care team has rolled out some innovative enrichment opportunities, utilizing the latest in 3D printing, motorized mechanics, and creative uses for recycled items.
Aaron Wockenfuss/Walt Disney World
Driving Innovation with 3D Printing
If you’ve tuned into season two of Magic of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, now streaming on Disney+, then you may remember the motorized cheetah ball that allows the cheetahs to chase a moving object as they would in the wild. With the help of animal keepers and a remote control, the ball helps to engage the animal's natural instincts to hunt and run. Parts of the motorized cheetah ball were created using a 3D printer, just one example of the technology’s use at Walt Disney World.
Aaron Wockenfuss/Walt Disney World
Creative Enrichment for All Animals, Big and Small
Every animal at Disney World, no matter their size, receives enrichment unique to their species. Take the lions for example. Hunting is a vital part of their natural behavior, so we’ve gotten exceptionally creative on how to encourage it. Stalking, pawing, biting and clawing are all made possible by a warthog-shaped ice sculpture designed to spark their curiosity. To make it as realistic as possible, the ice sculpture receives a coat of mud, straight from the warthog habitat so it not only looks like a warthog, but smells like one too.
This form of enrichment not only provides lions the opportunity to mimic hunting behavior in their habitats but also serves as a great way for them to cool off.
Aaron Wockenfuss/Walt Disney World
Upcycling for Animals: New Uses for Recycled Items
While some enrichments are made with the help of a 3D printer, others are made with items already found at Disney World. Some great examples of this include recycled water bottles and coolers turned into warthog feeders and faux “logs” that store treats for the primates, or old fire hoses woven into different shapes making them the perfect enrichment for the rhinos.
Aaron Wockenfuss/Walt Disney World
Seasonal Enrichment: Even Animals Love the Holidays
While enrichment is especially important for the health and wellbeing of all animals, it can also be great fun for guests, too. This holiday season, guests watched while the gorillas opened holiday presents with some of their favorite foods inside.
Disney is always pushing the envelope for new ways to provide the best wellbeing for the animals in their care. This includes providing high-quality nutrition, creating an environment where animals participate in their own care, using innovative resources like baseball clay for a flock of lesser flamingos to create nests and, equally important, using imagination and out-of-the-box thinking to provide enriching opportunities for ALL the animals in Disney’s care.