Veterinary Procedures at AK

[Stefecatzz]

I've never seen one of these done & know very little about them. I've heard that they are done 1st thing in the morning & are somewhere in Rafiki's Planet Watch which I haven't been to in years!

Can anyone tell me a time range, where they are exactly & how much time I should plan to get there? Any info will help (including what you saw being done)!

TIA!

 

[Simba's Mom]

I've seen them a lot. They were every day, but I read on these boards that they're not done on Wednesdays (unless there's an emergency). The train out to Rafiki's Planet watch used to not start until 9:30, I don't know the exact timing now since it's been about a year since I've been out there. And if you ask nicely, the CMs at the train will radio to see if you can find out in advance what procedures are being done (I learned that after one trip, when the first procedure was trying to take blood from a big snake, watching it writhe wasn't my favorite thing to watch!). Generally they plan 3 procedures, but that can vary if there are long ones scheduled. They're almost always done by noon. You could see most anything-a gorilla getting a check-up, a sheep not eating, a duck being spayed, a bird with a broken leg, or even a writhing snake!

 

[kj2mom]

Hmm trying to remember what time we took the train over, it was fairly early in the morning. We had gotten there at rope drop, rode EE twice, ridden Primeval Whirl, the safari and had a snack. Our safari FP was for 10:10-11:10 so maybe we went over around 11? When we arrived they were doing an exam on a meerkat that they said they had noticed was not eating like usual, was arching its back a lot and just seemed to be out of sorts (they related it to how a mom can often just tell their child isn't feeling quite right so they wanted to do an exam and see what they could find).

Oh, it was a Monday that we saw this!

 

[Stefecatzz]

Thanks for the info! I was hoping I'd be able to speak with a Guest Relations CM when I arrived at AK that morning to find out what the procedure would be & what time. But maybe I would be better off asking the CMs at the train instead.

It's also good to know I could wait until later in the morning to head over. I was hoping to take advantage of early morning hours for attractions & FPs I made. I also have a breakfast ADR so later morning would work out better.

 

[disnut8]

We saw a turtle getting his shell repaired after a car ran over him. Another time, we had just missed seeing surgery on a warthog.

One thing to note about the vet at Animal Kingdom. The turtle we saw getting his shell fixed was not a Disney turtle living in a protected environment. Just a turtle who lived on Disney property. A Cast Member saw the turtle injured and brought him into be fixed up (the driver who hit the turtle didn't even slow down). The Cast Member at the procedure told us that they get all kinds of native wildlife brought in for repairs. Once the animal is fixed up, it's kept for a while until healed and then the vets determine if its going to be released back into the wild. If the damage is too much for the animal to survive on its own, they find a place for the animal, usually somewhere in the Disney environment so it's protected the best they can do. The Cast Member explained that the damage to the turtle's shell wasn't anything damaging so he would be released back into the wild on Disney property once all was good.

 

[JoshuaShaw]

I would head over to Rafiki's Planet Watch as soon as it opens, which I think is around 11:00, but someone may need to correct me. The procedures themselves are inside of the Conservation Station building and if my past experience is any indication, there will be a schedule posted inside.

I've seen the "no procedures" on Wednesday fact mentioned so many times that I do not dispute it, but for what it's worth, I did go on a Wednesay once and saw an annual checkup on a flying fox. Maybe it was just an exception to the rule, but there is at least some precedent for it to occur.

All that said, I think you'll be glad you made time for it. It may be one of the better experiences most people tend to overlook.

 

[AngiTN]

Rafiki's must open before 11:00. We were over there closer to 10:00 last week. We saw a wild turtle being treated

 

[MakiraMarlena]

you haven't lived until you have seen the toad enema.

 

[JoshuaShaw]

Rafiki's must open before 11:00. We were over there closer to 10:00 last week. We saw a wild turtle being treated

Current hours posted are 9:30-5:00, so they may vary from season to season.

Or I was just very wrong, which is also a strong possibility.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I know that I've always been able to go over before 10:00-I THINK the train starts about 9:30. And I agree about the native wildlife. I know that the duck they were spaying was from one of the resorts (probably a native), and one time I saw a native turtle also.

 

[Jess_S]

We saw a turtle getting his shell repaired after a car ran over him. Another time, we had just missed seeing surgery on a warthog.

One thing to note about the vet at Animal Kingdom. The turtle we saw getting his shell fixed was not a Disney turtle living in a protected environment. Just a turtle who lived on Disney property. A Cast Member saw the turtle injured and brought him into be fixed up (the driver who hit the turtle didn't even slow down). The Cast Member at the procedure told us that they get all kinds of native wildlife brought in for repairs. Once the animal is fixed up, it's kept for a while until healed and then the vets determine if its going to be released back into the wild. If the damage is too much for the animal to survive on its own, they find a place for the animal, usually somewhere in the Disney environment so it's protected the best they can do. The Cast Member explained that the damage to the turtle's shell wasn't anything damaging so he would be released back into the wild on Disney property once all was good.

Thanks for sharing this. It put a smile on my face.

 

[AngiTN]

We saw a turtle getting his shell repaired after a car ran over him. Another time, we had just missed seeing surgery on a warthog.

One thing to note about the vet at Animal Kingdom. The turtle we saw getting his shell fixed was not a Disney turtle living in a protected environment. Just a turtle who lived on Disney property. A Cast Member saw the turtle injured and brought him into be fixed up (the driver who hit the turtle didn't even slow down). The Cast Member at the procedure told us that they get all kinds of native wildlife brought in for repairs. Once the animal is fixed up, it's kept for a while until healed and then the vets determine if its going to be released back into the wild. If the damage is too much for the animal to survive on its own, they find a place for the animal, usually somewhere in the Disney environment so it's protected the best they can do. The Cast Member explained that the damage to the turtle's shell wasn't anything damaging so he would be released back into the wild on Disney property once all was good.

Similar instance to what we learned when we saw the procedure on a wild turtle.

Also worth noting, since it's related to animal care by Disney.... We were recently in DL and stayed at the Disneyland Hotel. We noticed cats around the property. I commented to DH that I wondered if they kept them around to keep the rodent population down (ironic considering "it was all started by a mouse" and all that). He wondered if they came over from the homes that are close by (for those that don't know, DL is in a city vs. the country like WDW)
So a few days later we were in a cabana at the pool and asked the staff. Sure enough, there are feral cats around the property that Disney takes in, has spayed or neutered, feeds and they do indeed keep the small native critters under control.

 

[GreatLakes]

We went up there in June in the early afternoon, I would guess 1 or 2, and they were doing some sort of scope procedure on a large bird. It is worth the trip up IMO.

 

[Stefecatzz]

Sorry it has been a while since I've replied but better late than never..

Thank you all for your input & sharing your experiences!

Unfortunately, the day I have planned to be in AK is a Wednesday so it may or may not work out (unless I luck out like JoshuaShaw did & get to see something after all!). I was looking forward to seeing a procedure but am not worried as I am a Passholder & am planning to move to the Orlando area so I know when I finally make the move up there, I will be spending a lot more time in the parks & can plan better to see things like this that I have been meaning to see.