"I have a great love of animals and laughter"
-Walt Disney
*Disclaimer : This Entry maybe controversial to some I am giving information based off of my research and experience to help those deciding and am trying to be as balanced as possible.
When I first realized OMG I AM ACTUALLY GOING TO DISNEY! I started researching things like, what can a vegan gal like me eat? A puzzling result of this was that it seemed many of the best vegan options lay in or near the Animal Kingdom a park which I assumed the majority of vegans would be boycotting. While this is definitely a very controversial topic in the veg Disney fandom it's one I want to talk about, calmly and frankly to help others decide.
My ultimate decision post trip is that the world we live in is not black and white, but rather grey. I don't think we can treat all animal captivity as equal for multiple reasons such as, habitat loss, danger to endangered animals,and injured animals. There isn't the free space there once was for animals to live wild natural lives we humans have gotten our greedy little hands into just about everything, if we haven't chopped down , invaded or polluted an area we've most likely infiltrated the area with poachers because of this creating safe and yes artificial environments is becoming in my opinion important. With that said it's important that we do so responsibly which brings me back to not all captivity is created equally. Some species like, whales really can't thrive in captivity their size paired with how much they move makes creating a space they could potentially be happy and healthy in impossible. I feel I should note here Epcot has dolphins and I was not able to get a satisfactory answer as to how they got there but my basic understanding on them is that they were born in captivity.
This blog could really become almost a book going through each animals needs and stories I will touch on some and the pro's and con's. If you thought the beginning of this was too pro park let's get into negatives. The United States has very loose laws in regards to exotic animals and because of this they have problems with sketchy backyard zoos and private citizens owning animals they are to equipped or qualified to care for (for more view The Elephant In The Living Room). I haven't been able to 100% confirm this allegation so take it with a grain of salt but it is rumored that the state asked Disney to take animals from these sorts of situations and that Disney declined and imported animals needlessly.
Similarly prior to the parks opening 31 animals died due basically to staff carelessness , 4 cheetah cubs drank toxic materiel, and several birds were ran over by safaris. Ultimately inspectors declared that the number of death verse the number of animals in the facility worked out to be very low. To Disney's credit though unlike many parks/zoos they did take immediate action to rectify the mistakes and to avoid future accidents. (For further reading : http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1998-05-14/news/9805140239_1_disney-animal-usda-inspectors-animal-kingdom )
Related to animal deaths in 2014 the Animal Kingdom was listed among the worst zoos for elephants, and it wasn't the first time they made the list. Questions have been raised as to whether or not their status was earned or if it was used to gain publicity for the list itself, which is worth considering. Considering elephants are still used and abused in circus's and some of the zoos I've witnessed I do wonder if they deserve to be ranked 10th worse, but that doesn't justify the carelessness that lead them to making the list. Unlike many facilities that make these sorts of lists do to poor day to day living conditions for animals Disney made the list due to specific events that could have been avoided (for further reading http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-animal-kingdom-elephants-20150112-story.html ) One of the incidents was the death of a pregnant elephant who died while being transported to another facility for treatment, it is my understanding that after this event Disney upgraded their prenatal care capabilities.
By now Disney's Animal Kingdom is looking pretty bad so lets move back to the pro's. As I mentioned each of these tragic events lead to immediate positive changes and upgrades on Disney's part, that seems basic but is really worth noting, it's not often that facilities admit to doing something wrong in words or action unless forced to by legal agencies or public outcry, but Disney seems quick to improve with little to know push needed, and that is important on many levels. Disney's quick response to these tragic events in my opinion shows an authentic care for the well being of their dependents.
Another very important aspect to consider is the actual enclosures. One of the main problems many people have with many zoos are the enclosures. Often just in regular conversation this comes up when discussing zoos or similar facilities so let's look at what makes the Animal Kingdom different in that respect. The Animal Kingdom is 500 acres the largest of all the parks giving the animals more space than any other park/ zoo I know of. The habitats are made to appear and feel as large and natural as possible. For a more detailed look at the enclosure read here http://www.technicallydis.com/?p=58 .
It's also worth noting that unlike here in Canada which should never be home to exotic animals due to our climate, Florida's climate is generally very warm and more suited to host these sort of animals.
Disney's Animal Kingdom also does a lot of work for wildlife conservation so more animals can enjoy and maintain happy, healthy wild lives, which of course wold be ideal for animals. The Animal Kingdom has also worked with Jane Goodall and what Jane deems OK I am inclined to lean towards as well. For more on this see 1.https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/content/conservation-collaboration
2. https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/environment/
The number one positive I find about the Animal Kingdom is the transparency. Transparency should be common place, but it isn't and that's something that makes this facility standout. The train to Rafiki's Conservation Station leads you through a mini behind the scenes showing where the animals sleep and they can choose whether or not to enter the safari zone while I was there, there was an elephant that had chosen to stay in his/her pen despite the gate being open. At the conservation station in addition to learning about animals and conservation you can actually see parts of their veterinary clinic and watch minor procedures. In additions to this for an extra fee you can take a complete behind the scenes tour.
Currently Disney's Animal Kingdom is home to a mix of rescues and animals born in captivity that can't be released.
These pro's and con's and the gray world we live in leads me to put Disney's Animal Kingdom into a solid gray category. It's not as good as an actual conservation park, but is vastly superior to the majority of zoos and parks containing animals. From an abolitionist point of view which I don't entirely disagree with I understand why this isn't enough and from a welfarist point of view this is about as good as can be expected from a for profit.
So where do I stand? Well at the last second while there I did decide to check the park out, I only had about 3 hours there so I did not get to see it all but between my research, talking to staff past and present, and the state of the world in general, I am OK with it. Some of these animals when the park opened in the 1990s may have had a better life in the wild but now with the current population of those unable to live in the wild, the safety and care they are given I really can't hate on them.
On quote that stuck out from a vegan former employee who supports the park was that Disney "treats the animals in it's care better than their human staff".
I don't think there is a right or wrong answer here, I get and respect all the reasons people give for boycotting this park, they aren't wrong. However I also see reasons why it's worth not boycotting.
I hope the information given here will help people form their own opinions and make their own informed choices which ever it maybe.
