African veldt

**The African veldt** is a location from the *Jungle Cruise*.

## Description

The African veldt is a region of North Africa along the Nile river. The veldt is home to many animals which come to the Nile for water. The veldt is adjacent to a Hippo Pool and a Primate Refuge to its east, and jungle enclave to its north. Due to being located along the main Nile river and also located in North Africa, the territory would have either been located in the nation of Egypt or Sudan. The region is connected to the mystical *Rivers of Adventure*, resulting it being part of the composite domain of *Adventureland*.

### Points of interest

* **Hippo Pool**: This was a treacherous region home to many territorial hippos.
* **Lion's Den**: This is a rock-formation which houses a pride of lions.
* **Termite Mounds**:

### Wildlife

#### Fauna

* **African lions**:
* **Black rhinoceros**:
* **Gazelles**:
* **Giraffe**:
* **Gnus**:
* **Hippopotamus**:
* **Mallard ducks**:
* **Oxpecker**:
* **Spotted Hyenas**:
* **Termites**:
* **Vultures**:
* **Zebras**:

## History

### Background

#### Indigenous history

The African Veldt is a region of North Africa which is one of many locations connected to the domain of, "Adventureland". The veldt was located just west of the territory of the Indigenous African *Umbala Tribe* though did not seem to be considered part of its official territory.

#### Colonialism

Around the summer of 1891, the African veldt was documented by colonial explorer Dr. Albert Falls. Falls was on the ninth day of a thirteen-day expedition to map the mystical Rivers of Adventure which allowed him to access the veldt from the rivers of the Congo Basin. Falls went on a short animal-watching adventure while in the African veldt and his time in the region lasted somewhere between two and four days. The adventure ended with Falls passing through the Hippo Pool, Primate refuge and onto the Zambezi river.

In 1911, Falls established the colonial *Jungle Navigation Company* which would regularly pass by the veldt. At some point following 1916, Jungle Navigation Company boatsman Frank Wolff would seemingly travel to the veldt on an expedition to map a new route along the Rivers of Adventure, accessing the veldt from the Congo and leaving for the Mekong river in Cambodia. At some point between 1911 and 1936, a safari expedition was lost along the veldt. This lost safari supposedly remained lost for longer than any other safari in known history. At some point in time, the members of this safari were chased up a tree or totem-pole by an angered rhinoceros. This safari was sought after by the JNC boat *Zambezi Miss* which included the likes of riverboat captain Charlie Allnut and his wife Rose Sayer.

#### Jungle Cruise

The African veldt was a region often traveled past by Falls' company the *Jungle Navigation Company* for their, "Jungle Cruise" tours starting in 1931. Around 1936, the Jungle Navigation Company's activities on the Rivers of Adventure correlated with an invasive species of North American mallard ducks infesting the veldt along with other regions of Adventureland. While scientists were perplexed by their migration and concerned with the potential harm they could do to the ecosystems, they were put up with due to how cute they were.

In a December between 1935 and 1937, the veldt was polluted along with the rest of the Rivers of Adventure by the Jungle Navigation Company. The company had imported a large amount of Christmas decor and paraphernalia which their pilot by accident dumped in the Rivers of Adventure resulting in mass pollution. Amidst this event, the lost safari was run up a makeshift Christmas tree by the rhino, the hippos would feast on dumped, the lion pride would attempt to eat plastic reindeer moulds, and the event was reported on by Tallahassee Glover of *The Daily Gnus* newspaper. Due to the success of leading Christmas oriented, "Jingle Cruise" tours through the jungle, this act of pollution became an annual standard for the Jungle Navigation Company.

In 1938, JNC president Alberta Falls arranged for a V.I.P. jungle cruise tour through the Nile river aboard the Kwango Kate under one Felix Pechman XIII. This tour included the likes of Siobhan Murphy, Rosa Soto Dominguez, Dr. Leonard Moss and Dr. Kon Chunosuke. When Pechman's piloting was interrupted by Siobhan's interest in an exotic bird, he wrecked the Kwango Kate along the Nile river of Northern Africa. The marooned passengers likewise found themselves in the veldt where they were chased up a tree by a rhinoceros.

#### Later history

Following his 1938 quest for the Holy Grail, the region was visited by famous archaeologist Indiana Jones. On his adventures, Jones accidentally left two of his belongings in the region. Jones left the umbrella of his father Henry Jones, Sr. in a region near the stranded lost safari and the headdress of late cultist enemy Mola Ram in the possession of the Umbala tribe. This objects were later found by the Jungle Navigation Company and likely recovered.

### Development history

The African Veldt scene was largely influenced by the True-Life Adventures nature films of Walt Disney. Marc Davis designed the Trapped Safari gag of which the Disneyland variant included outdated depictions of black characters. These stereotypes were removed in a 2021 refurbishment of the Jungle Cruise.

## Appearances

### Bengal Barbecue

In this restaurant is a photograph of the characters Charlie Allnut and Rose Sayer from riding the Zambezi Miss past the African veldt. In the background is the original depiction of the Trapped Safari.

### Disneyland Railroad

During the Adventureland segment of the Disneyland Railroad, the trains pass by the African veldt.

### Jungle Cruise

The African veldt is passed-by on the Jungle Cruise. First guests encounter a large assortment of animals near the lion's den and later the pole with the trapped safari. In Disneyland's queue audio, Nigel Greenwater claims the lost safari has been lost for longer than any other lost expedition in history.

#### Indiana Jones Summer of Hidden Mysteries

In this overlay, Henry Jones, Sr.'s umbrella was left in the veldt, apparently an accident from one of Indy's adventures.

#### Jungle Cruise: Wildlife Expeditions

In Jungle Cruise: Wildlife Expeditions, the song *Circle of Life* from *The Lion King* plays while passing by the veldt. In the queue, a photo of the veldt is in a glass case labelled, "Friends of the Jungle".

### Trader Sam's

#### Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar

Sam has a framed photograph of the African Veldt.

#### Trader Sam's Grog Grotto

Sam has a photo of the original Lost Safari framed on the wall of this bar.

### Other connections

#### The African Queen

Rose Sayer and Charlie Allnut who are shown passing the veldt in Bengal Barbecue are characters from this film which inspired development of the Jungle Cruise.

#### Jungle Cruise (film)

Frank Wolff who mapped parts of the veldt is a character from this film. During the Jingle Cruise, one of the crates dumped in the veldt was addressed to Nilo Nemolato, another character from the film who ran the JNC's rival business *Nilo's River Adventure* and who was owner of Rosita.

## Trivia

* While gnus are shown to be animals in the African Veldt, in real-life, wildebeest are not native to North Africa and are rather animals belonging to South and East Africa.
* In Disneyland's Jungle Cruise, the Disneyland Railroad is sometimes visible from the veldt while on the Jungle Cruise.
* In 1983, the Magic Kingdom's veldt was enclosed to hide views of *Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa*.

## References

1. ↑ https://jungleskipper.com/sea/attractions/bengal-bbq
2. ↑ http://disneylanddiva.blogspot.com/2008/09/indiana-jones-and-summer-of-hidden.html
3. ↑ https://momotraveljourney.wordpress.com/day-2-tokyo-disneyland/
4. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/CS0mmLnrBEk/