Walkabout The World - A Disney Podcast - A Walkabout to Kilimanjaro Safari [ep 018]

Episode Date: June 20, 2021

Hello Travelers! Today we take an audio safari together in Disney's Animal Kingdom. Ride through Kilimanjaro Safari with us, and then for an unexpected bonus, hear some of the Winged Encounters show that takes place near the Tree of Life. Connect with us at @WalkaboutWDW on Instagram, and find our producer Josh at @TheSteele.

I'm like 100% big. We are back in Disney's Animal Kingdom for a very specific goal, which is odd. Normally we don't have goals. And even more odd, it's kind of a time warp thing here. Normally we talk about what we're going to do, and today we're talking about what we've already done. I know, I know, I keep changing it up on you. But today we arrived a little early, and so we arrived in the morning, we hit Creature Comforts, we got a cinnamon roll, and then we headed off to kilimanjaro safaris which we haven't done in a while also also i'm looking at the person here's here with me it's it's my wife heather hi hi everybody so we did safari for the first time in a while and it was great and i recorded it for you guys by the way

right now we are at discovery island the tree of life is right behind heather who is right in front of you and off to the right uh discovery trading company and all those good places so we went on the safari and a couple of things of note and these aren't especially new but they were new to me. One of the first things was the warden station. Had you seen the warden station before? No, this is the first time that we saw it. It had the pygmy goats, I think that's what they're called, maybe? Yeah.

And they have a cool little hut set up with a little jeep, and it's a really cool set up. Yeah, I don't know if it's a warden station or a warden house but either way it's a new thing for the warden another thing they had a big a big brown tarpy fence around the elephant uh exhibit enclosure whatever you'll call it right am i right on that the elephant area yeah it was over there and i know it previously had not been there before so i'm kind of wondering what the purpose of the fence is i'm not sure the The elephants were out, so it's not like it was down. So one of the things that was down, though, I may edit this out,

so who knows, but on the safari, I asked a driver while we were parked waiting on an animal that had wandered into the road. We were all stopped. I asked the safari driver, hey, isn't that the lion area off to the left? And she said yes, but actually they're working on the isn't that the lion area off to the left and she said yes but actually they're working on the enclosure and so the lion area is shut down the lions are backstage as it

were but it was a it was a good safari and then the only other thing this is going to be an intro and an outro at one time isn't that weird it's a weird episode so a strange day at animal kingdom today because park wide and i know this because i asked specifically to find out what was going on park wide there's a power outage and so we were looking and so just some of the things that we've noticed that have been down are expedition everest uh the train out to uh what is that called rafiki's planet watch yeah the train out to planet watch i believe also um was cali river rapids down i'm not sure about that i think cali was down i know for instance nomad lounge was closed we walked out to nomad because we're like hey let's let's at least

go get something to drink something to eat and we walked up and the manager said hey we're closed and I just happened to remark that you know wow there seems to be a lot of things closed today and he said yeah there's a park-wide power outage and we just we just don't have power to a lot of our stuff strangely there are some things that are still open um flame tree is open restaurant asaurus is not open i see like literally right now folks in like backstage kitchen gear out kind of wandering around yeah strange day not sure what caused the outage it is thunderstorm season here but there isn't any in the area today it's just been kind of pleasant well okay it's been like feels like 95 but it hasn't been stormy so let's put it that way and

i honestly have no i In moments, the sky will come alive with color as a variety of five riverbots join together, creating Wind Encounters. We encourage you to gather around our alien specialists at the base of the Dreamland for a unique journey of discovery, one that you can't see anywhere else except in the wild. Welcome to Wings Encounters. Well, okay then. I didn't plan this, guys. Things sometimes just work out.

So, right in front of us, in front of the Tree of Life, you have a couple of cast members in vibrant McCall-like colored outfits. And there's a couple of McCalls up there by them. They just flew in. What happens next, I do not know. However, I'm going to wind this up

and just say that after this intro, you will hear our journey on the Kilimanjaro safaris. And then just want to remind you that we are on the Kilimanjaro safaris. And then just want to remind you that we are on Instagram at walkaboutwdw. It is our one and only interface with you guys, the listeners. So please look us up over there. Give us a follow.

Drop us a note. Tell us about an area of the park that you would like us to seek out and explore, and we will do that. And there is a great, big, beautiful tomorrow out there. We will see you in one of those on another walk about the world. Say bye, Heather. Bye, everybody. Bye, guys. Bye, guys. Asante Sano Warden, is everyone ready to go?

Yes. All right, well, as we say here in Harambe, Twin Day. Let's go. Ajambo everybody, my name is Rio, I'm going to be your safari guide out there today. Now we're going to be seeing lots of really cool animals out there. If you take a look above your head, you might get a sneak peek of all the animals we might be seeing. There are just a couple things to go over before we head down in there. Make sure everybody is remaining seated at all times.

Make sure those face coverings are fully covering your nose and mouth at all times. Now we are going to wait here for just a moment for the warden's approval to head on into the forest. If you are holding a camera, I do recommend you putting it into sport mode. This is a photo safari, and you're going to get the best photos in sport mode. It is quite a bumpy ride. I'm going to make as many stops as I can. However, you'll get those best photos in that mode. Now it looks like we are heading straight down into Little Asiri Forest. Now this is home to many animals who are really good at blending in and camouflaging with their surroundings.

So keep your eyes peeled. If you've never seen an animal that I don't, feel free to shout it out towards the front. Now it does look like over here on your right hand side you're going to see a no coffee. Now they are very shy and reclusive animals. They actually weren't discovered until 1901. Over here on your left hand side you're gonna see a saddle-billed stork. If you take a look at its bill you see that yellow shape kind of looks like a saddle. That's where it gets its name from. They can stand at about 5 feet tall. They have a wingspan of about 9 feet wide.

If you look above your head, it is the same exact size as that canopy above your head. The Akapi do kind of look like a zebra with those black and white striped legs. They're actually related to the giraffe. That's because they have a really long, prehensile tongue. Prehensile means it's finger-like. They use that really long tongue to help them grab onto branches in the forest. Now we are heading down into a watering hole. It's usually a good spot to see some animals.

Although it doesn't look like I'm quite seeing anything just yet. Now over here on your right hand side on the hill there, those are some greater kudu. If you take a look at their ears, their ears actually move independently of one another. That means one ear can be facing one direction while the other is facing a completely different direction. Now up here on the hill on your right hand side are some bongos. They're known as the ghosts of the forest. That's because they are rarely seen. If you're able to take a look at their horns, they're kind of angled backwards. They use those horns to help maneuver through the bushes and the trees. Alright, it does look like we're going to leave the forest behind us. We're going to head down into the Safi River now.

Now the Safi River is home to many aquatic animals, so keep your eyes peeled on the surface of the water, those are some Nile Hippos. They can grow to be about 5,500 pounds. They're going to be spending the majority of their day in the water. They'll actually even sleep in the water too. They can hold their breath for about 8 minutes at a time, and their mind will subconsciously bring them up to take a breath, and then they'll just sink right back down. Now you are going to see some white birds on this island here.

Those are called pink-backed pelicans. They give their name because during mating season, their skin's going to turn a pinkish color. It's kind of like a blush. They're also colonial nesters. This piece of bogey and the groups have anywhere between 10 to 500 of them. They'll create a small community of nests. Now over here on your left hand side we are passing by some Nile Crocodile.

Now these crocodiles can grow to be about 16 feet long. They can jump about 16 feet in front of us too. They also grow to be about 500 pounds. And they will eat half of that body weight in one sitting. And those Nile crocodile are called opportunistic eaters. So if they have the opportunity to eat, then they'll take that opportunity. Otherwise, they can actually go months at a time without eating. That does look like we are going to be leaving those crocodile behind us. We're heading down into the savannah now.

The savannah is home to many of the more famous animals out there, such as the giraffes, the zebras, the lions, the cheetahs, the elephants, and many more. The savannah is also known as the crossroads of Africa. That's because it stretches for hundreds of miles. Many animals will use the savannah in their migrations from one side of Africa to the other. Now over here on your right hand side, way back there in the distance, those are spring box sitting down. They get their name because they are known to literally spring about 10 feet into the air from a standstill.

They're also the third fastest animal in the world. They can get up to speeds of around 50 to 60 miles an hour. Now many of the animals out here in the savannah are grazers. That means they like to eat the grass. It's kind of like a natural lawn mower for the area. It looks like there is some traffic ahead of us. Sounds like there's an all the way back towards that rock wall. There's also some more in their den.

Those are some African wild dogs. They are the best hunters on the reserve. They're known to chase their prey for hours at a time until their prey literally just falls down from exhaustion. They're also known as painted dogs and that comes from their splotchy fur coat. They use that fur coat to tell each other apart in the crowd. Now coming up on your left-hand side, they are tucked way back there in those trees. You're going to see some brown sable antelope

back there. Now if you notice, they're all kind of looking in a different direction. That's to help them see if there's any oncoming predators. They also use those horns that are angled backwards like that to defend themselves in case anybody jumps on their back. They're very good at defending themselves against lions. Now over here on your left hand side we're passing by a smaller herd of wildebeest. I say it's a smaller herd because they can grow to be about a thousand of them at a time. They'll also migrate with up to 1.5 million of them at a time. The wildebeest are also known as the new and that comes from the sound that they make. It's very similar to a sheep sound. Now on your right hand side and there's going to be a couple more on your left hand side too,

these are ankole cattle. They're the only domesticated species on the reserve. And those horns that they have grow to be about five feet long. Now they look very big and heavy but they're actually pretty lightweight. They're made out of a honeycomb structure on the inside. They use those horns to circulate blood through their body and it helps cool them off and regulate their body temperature. All right. Lagerfeld Ooh, now it does look like coming up on your left-hand side, there are a couple different types of animals out here. Now those are Hartman's Mountain Zebras. It looks like there is a baby out there, too.

That baby's only about two weeks old. Now these zebras have a fold of skin on their neck. It's called a dewlap. They're the only type of zebras that have that fold of skin. They use that dewlap to help them regulate their body temperature. Now those worm-a-side giraffe out there too. Those giraffe can grow to be about 16 feet tall. They also have that really long prehensile tongue that grows to be about a foot and a half long.

Those giraffe will only sleep for about 30 minutes of the day. They'll break that up into one or two minute naps throughout the day. They spend the majority of their day eating. Now just like the African wild dogs, those giraffes have a unique spot pattern. It's kind of like a fingerprint on a human. No spot pattern will ever be the exact same. Rundtjärven Masak-masak Now it does look like on either side of the truck here we're passing by some tusk marks in these red play pits. It's usually a good sign that elephants are nearby.

Ooh, and it does look like over there on your left hand side, ooh that's a really cool view of them. Those are some African elephants. This does look to be a group of females. That's because they're sticking together. These elephants live in a matriarch society. The females will stay together while the males go off by themselves. Now these females can grow to be about 9,000 pounds. The males will grow to be about 13,000 pounds. One really cool thing that we did just recently discover about these elephants is that they're actually scared of the sound of bees.

Some farmers discovered this when they put up a beehive on their farm and it stopped all the elephants from coming and destroying all their crops. Now lots of farmers in the area will actually put up fences that are made out of beehives. It's a really cool example of how humans and animals can interact and coexist in the same environment without having to hurt each other. These elephants also have the second longest childhood. They're second only to humans. Their babies will stay with them for about 13 years before they go off on their own. The Now over here on your left hand side we're passing by some greater flamingo. They get their name because they are the largest species of flamingo.

They also have the palest pinkish color. They get that pinkish color about one to two years after they're born. They get it from the shrimp that they eat in the water. Now if you notice there are lots of flamingos sitting down over there. They're actually sitting on some nests. Which is pretty exciting. Now it does look like we're heading deeper into the savannah now. It's usually home to some of the bigger animals out here. So keep your eyes peeled. Oh it does look like over there on your left-hand side are some white rhinos.

Now these white rhinos are very friendly animals. They like to stay in groups. They can get up to weigh about 5,000 pounds. We're going to go around this bend here and get a better view of them. Now white rhinos aren't actually white, they're dark gray. They get their name from a mistranslation of the Afrikaans word white. That means white. So once we get around this bend, take a look at their snout.

You'll notice that it's a bit wider. They use that white snout to help them graze the grass. Now unfortunately, these rhinos are poached for their horns. It's not that they contain medicinal value, but they're actually made out of keratin, which is the same exact stuff as your hair and fingernails. So they really have no value to them at all. A really cool fact about those white rhinos is that they can actually gallop just like horses do. They reach speeds of about 35 miles an hour. They can get all four of their legs off the ground at once, which is pretty impressive for being 5,000 pounds.

Now over here on your left-hand side, it is a bit harder to see him. He's tucked behind this tree here. There is a cheetah back there. Now those cheetah are the fastest animals in the world. They can get up to speeds of around 60 to 70 miles an hour. Now they are sprinters though so they don't hold those speeds for very long. In fact they really only ever get up to those speeds when they're chasing their prey. Unlike many of the bigger cats out in the area, the cheetahs are going to do most of their hunting during the day. Other bigger cats like the lions are nocturnal, so they only sleep, they're going to be sleeping for about 20 hours of the day and they'll wake up at night

time to do all their hunting. Now on your right hand side, laying down over there, there's a dark brown antelope. It's called the Bontoboc. They have a really cool story behind them. At one point there were only 20 of them left in the world. Now a farmer just thought that they were really cool looking, so he built a fence around them. And in doing so, he actually ended up saving the entire species without even realizing it. It does look like we have some more traffic up ahead of us. The R1 Now on your left hand side we are coming up to some holes in the ground here. It looks like they are made by some warthogs.

You can kind of see him, he's right behind this tree right next to us, laying down on the dirt. Very hard to see them, but they are the best burrow species in the world. They dig these holes as kind of like a defense mechanism. You can already tell that it's a bit hard to see them out there. It's nearly impossible to see them when they're laying down in the hole. Now over here on your right hand side, we're going to be passing by some scimitar horned oryx. Now this is a pretty rare sight. They're actually extinct out in the wild. They're desert antelope. They can go about nine months of the year without drinking any water. On the ground

over there on your right hand side are some ostrich eggs, then they will not break. All right, everyone. It does look like we're leaving the savannah behind us. We're heading down into Magadi Glen now. Magadi Glen is home to our warden's posts. Our warden does like to keep some livestock outside. It looks like there are some Nigerian dwarf goats out here. Now these guys are tiny, but they are all fully grown adults. They're very playful animals. They like to show dominance by jumping on top of one another. They're very well known for their milk. Some of it is very nutritious and very sweet, but it is a bit hard to come by. They're very well known for their milk. Some of it is very nutritious and very sweet, but it is a bit hard to come by. They're very well known for their milk.

Some of it is very nutritious and very sweet, but it is a bit hard to come by. They're very well known for their milk. Some of it is very nutritious and very sweet, but it is a bit hard to come by. They're very well known for their milk. Some of it is very nutritious and very sweet, but it is a bit hard to come by. They're very well known for their milk. Some of it is very nutritious and very sweet, but it is a bit hard to come by. They're very well known for their milk.

Some of it is very nutritious and very sweet, but it is a bit hard to come by. They're very well known for their milk. Some of it is very nutritious and very sweet, but it is a bit hard to come by. They're very well known for their milk. Some of it is very nutritious and very sweet, but it is a bit hard to come by. They're very well known for their milk. Some of it is very nutritious and very sweet, but it is a bit hard to come by. Some of it is very nutritious and very sweet, but it is a bit hard to come by.

Some of it is very nutritious and very sweet, but it is a bit hard to come by. Some of it is very nutritious and very sweet, but it is a bit hard to come by. Some of it is very nutritious and very sweet, but it is a bit hard to come by. Alright, it does look like we're heading back into the village now. We saw lots of really cool animals out there. I think we had pretty good luck today. Now unfortunately lots of the animals that we didn't see out there are herding out in the wild. Lots of their homes and habitats are being destroyed. Which is really sad but there are lots of things that you and I can do every single day to help stop this. One of the biggest things that we can do is to recycle.

Now just by recycling your paper, you can help cut back on the number of trees that are being destroyed. Another big thing to recycle is your electronics. Now something found in your electronics is a mineral called coltan. And coltan's usually mined in elephant territories. So if we can start recycling those electronics, we can help by saving some of those elephants out there. Now we are going to be passing by here. So I can get you back to your dock. Now if you enjoyed seeing all of these animals out here and you want to go check out some more,

I invite you to go head over to the Gorilla Falls exploration trails. On that trail you're going to find lots of really cool animals. You might get an up close view of the Okapi, see some gorillas. You might see my personal favorite, which are the meerkats. If you are planning on going over into Asia after this. In Asia there's also another trail. It's called the Maharaja Jungle Trail. On that trail you're going to see some Komodo dragons. You're going to see some giant fruit bats and the tigers. Norske Ropsten Now something else that we also offer here in Harambe is the show The Celebration of the

Festival of the Lion King. Now that is my personal favorite show on all of Disney property. There the whole floor is going to come alive. They're going to be singing lots of very celebrated songs. Jumbo everyone. Alright everybody, we are approaching our dock. Now here in Harambe, we don't like to say goodbye. It's much too final. Instead, I'm going to leave you with Crocorini.

And Crocorini means to go well. The End Thank you. Well... I am placing this in here because that was a little bit of winged encounters. We just saw like 20, 25 McCalls fly in and fly out. Pretty cool.