Well, adventurous readers, mapping that agenda just got harder, with the opening of Disney's Animal Kingdom - a huge new theme park, with completely novel offerings. I usually don't consider statistics a significant part of any travel report, but Disney works on such a grand scale, that the numbers are inescapably impressive. The trunk includes carvings of 325 animals. Safari Village features shops and restaurants evoking the look and tastes of that continent, as if it were one of the Epcot entries. It's also the greatest departure from all other Disney parks.
Visitors climb aboard open-sided lorries for an actual wildlife adventure.
Lions, giraffes, elands, rhinos, hippos, zebras and all the rest are represented in this realistic re-creation of a savannah Disney imported over 1,000 animals, representing 200 species. Even more impressive is the landscaping. Four million trees, shrubs, vines, flowers and grasses of over 3,000 species were planted. Hordes of horticulturists scoured the globe for authentic vegetation to import or cross-breed for survival in Florida, while providing homes to the birds, mammals and reptiles they would surround and feed. While on safari, one sees the animals up close and personal, in a habitat far more spacious and natural-appearing than zoos offer.