How do they keep the lions...

[Shleedogg]

from hunting in the safari? There are no visible fences, is it like an invisible fence for a dog? This struck me the last time we were there as it seemed it would be easy for the lions to get to the other animals.

While I wouldn't want to watch a lion catch and eat a kudu or zebra, isn't that sort of mean on Disney's part? "Look at that delicious gazelle over there. Would you like a bite? *zap* Too bad!"

 

[medicgirl911]

I will throw myself into that "always wanted to know but to afraid to ask" category
I remember seeing some gates in a couple places, but I don't think they open and closed between vehicles...and I can't remember where the gates were at exactly anyhow.

 

[dancingdisneygirl]

They use hidden moats and things to keep the animals separeted. They use techniques to keep it hidden from guests so it looks like they are toghether but they aren't. I don't have details, I've read and seen clips about it on specials they have on tv.

 

[Faldred]

There are no visible fences

I'm sure "visible" is the key word. I'm quite certain that the lions are isolated, to protect the "safari" tourists as much as other animals.

Besides, a well-fed lion probably doesn't do much hunting...

 

[Mrsjvb]

short answer: they feed 'em.

animals hunt their prey for food. If they ain't hungry they are less likely to play Hunt and Stalk.

 

[neile45]

I just thought that because they are fed on a schedule that the lions are not hungry, and therefore don't hunt the other animals, but I have no idea, really.

 

[DISHUD]

As I've been told there are deep invisible ditches that we cannot see and the lions cannot cross. It completely amazes me that they can hide them so well.

 

[overthemoon4mickey]

They have containment for each animal group. AK was built so that the guest wouldn't see the fences/electric wires/moats/walls that seperate the animals. On our trip in Jaunary we were stopped on the road waiting for a Rhino to pass (a little too close for my taste) our truck. We were seated in the last row and kept hearing a little "snap, snap" sound. Our driver said it was the electric fences designed to look like clumps of grass.

 

[tony609]

Theres a great behind the scenes of Animal Kingdom that airs on the Travel Channel quite a bit, go to the website and see when it might be scheduled then you'll know the real reason.

 

[dato63]

They had an episode on AK on the travel channel. It showed that they built (as other posters have mentioned) moats that we can't see. If you happen to see the show on AK advertised it is interesting to watch.

 

[Bounce_Tigger]

from hunting in the safari? There are no visible fences, is it like an invisible fence for a dog? This struck me the last time we were there as it seemed it would be easy for the lions to get to the other animals.

While I wouldn't want to watch a lion catch and eat a kudu or zebra, isn't that sort of mean on Disney's part? "Look at that delicious gazelle over there. Would you like a bite? *zap* Too bad!"

Isn't it meaner of Disney to let the lion eat the gazelle? The lions stay on the rocks because they want to, there's food and a heater (or air conditioner, depending on the weather) up there. Plus the small matter of hidden 20 foot ditches. Throughout the safari you may see chains that are ever so slightly electrified, but the real reason the animals don't cross them is that they don't like the feeling of uneven ground like a chain or a slat.
The animals are comfortable in their areas and have plenty of room to roam and rarely go into another animal's area.

Animals have escaped into other areas (it's not nearly as panicky as it sounds) but most of the time they are just as shocked as the animal handlers! They don't like being out of their comfort zones, and would much rather stay where they are comfortable

 

[marmar]

We've done the backstage tour twice. If you know what you are looking for, you can see the barriers, moats, etc. The ones I like best are the electric ones that look like a fan of wires. The wires or about 2ft long. The guide on our Backstage tour said that one of the elephants figured out that she didn't feel the shock if she used her tusks. So she would push the fans aside so she & her friends could sneak out. Disney had to come up with something else for that escape route.

The best invisible barrier is what separates the tigers from the deer in Majarajah Jungle trek. People are absolutely sure the tigers could just walk over the hill and get a snack.

There are several things going on with the lions on Pride Rock. First there is an air conditioning vent that the big male lion loves to lay on to keep cool. It is positioned just so he always is in the best photo op spot. They also put snacks and other goodies in the right places (can we say bunny-sicle).

I am always amazed at how good old fashioned cattle guards work with the savanah animals.

 

[bradk]

1) keeping them well fed helps above all else
2) progressive zoos (not just disney) do use innovative methods of invisible barriers for animals. moats are popular with lions. lions aren't a fan of water, so it keeps them away. tigers, however, rather enjoy water so it's more of a distance/height thing (although recent non-disney events show even what a tiger on a mission is capable of can be grossly underestimated). elephants are even kept at bay with psychological barriers. if you see those burlap tarps that get put up around the safari, those are to teach baby elephants their physical limitations. the barriers are slowly dropped and eventually removed and the elephant still recognizes the barrier as being there.
3) the lions reportedly hate... hate... hate... the trams. so a desire to journey any closer to them probably isn't in their best interest. on that token, humans are the most valuable deterrent in keeping animals at bay.
4) lions hunt at night primarily, they sleep upwards of 18 hours a day and they're brought inside at night (DAK actually has 2 pairs of lions with one pair out at a time)

 

[brerrabbit]

I highly recommend catching the Travel Channel show on the Animal Kingdom. It explains is all. When you see the lions they are up on a hill like area but what you dont see is the 20 ft deep 16 ft wide moat. That plus as other posters have said they stay in a certain area because one of the rocks up there actually has cold air blowing to cool them in the summer and warm air in the winter. On the plains the grazing animals have feeders in the hollow logs that keep them interested. The logs are actually made of concrete. They also bring in tree limbs of the favorite leaves and tie them to the tres in that area so that the animals (mostly the giraffes) will eat the ones brought in and not the real ones. They have a CM ride the ride every so often and do an animal cout to assure that all the gusts are getting to see all the animals and if animal count goes below 60% they induce the animals with more food. They do not feed them at any other time so the animals learn to take advantage of the feeding periods. In the hippo area it looks like they could come right up to the ride vehicle but what you dont see in the 3 foot wall under the water that they can't get past to come up to the truck. The crocodiles also have features to keep them seperated form the vehicles. On the plain they use cattle guards and cables that you drive over to keep those animals from wondering into areas they should not be in as well.

I really recommend the show as it answers all of these type questions.

 

[d1gitman]

Isn't it meaner of Disney to let the lion eat the gazelle? ...

depends if your the lion or the gazelle

considering the fact that in the wild, where lions come from, they get to hunt for their food, i would think one could argue it is meaner to keep them in captivity. seems like keeping them in captivity is turning them into couch potatoes. they don't get the excercise and hunting skills that they would in the wild.

 

[pktbMouse]

Im sure the lions at Disney are interviewed for the job and have to be strict vegetarians!!!

 

[WEDWDW]

The Cheetahs HAVE been known to "hunt"(and CATCH) the wild rabbits that sometimes unfortunately happen upon their habitat.The animals may be in captivity,but they maintain all of their instincts.

 

[bradk]

modern zoos tend to engage in enrichment programs which are designed to give animals the natural exercise they need

the sites are a tad old but you may want to check out http://www.animaltraining.org and http://www.animalenrichment.org to learn a little more about Disney's practices.

ETA: in fact.. http://www.animalenrichment.org/lion.html

ETAx2: the truth is, life in captivity really is different than life in the wild. when you're a baby, get sick/injured or get old in the wild, you're easy prey. in captivity, you get proper treatment (hopefully) and generally tend to live a longer life on average. of course there are some exceptions. some species don't survive well in captivity if at all.