When Walt Disney wanted to find enough space for Disney World so that he wouldn't need to worry about the encroaching of civilization, he found swampland in Florida. It was perfect for his project as he was able to buy it relatively cheap and there was plenty of it. The only real problem was, it was still swampland in Florida. As such, Disney World still needs to contend with some of the native wildlife in the area, specifically snakes.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom is the place you go at Walt Disney World when you want to not only see fun attractions but also see real live animals. Animal Kingdom is like a zoo, but on a Disney theme park budget. There are places where the animals roam almost free like the Kilimanjaro Safari attraction, but the animals are all contained. At least the ones that are part of the ride are. A TikTok has recently gone viral showing some of Florida’s native wildlife, a snake, getting a little two close to the guests.
@mickeyshapedmoments ♬ original sound - savannahkoon
While one can get remarkably close to some wildlife at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, walking down a footpath and noticing this down by your ankle isn’t quite what most guests are probably expecting. At the same time, as noted, it’s par for the course when your theme park vacation resort is in the middle of what used to be a swamp. This isn’t the first time, even recently, that we’ve seen Disney World cast members dealing with snakes. Even the animals at Animal Kingdom have to deal with snakes from time to time.
Walt Disney World certainly does whatever it can to manage the local animal population. While this snake isn’t really that big an issue, and the cast member watching over it is likely trying to protect it from people as much as the other way around, there are more dangerous animals that can be found in the resort. Walk near any body of water in Walt Disney World and you’ll find signs warning you of the potential for alligators.
There is no creature too small for Disney to not take an interest in dealing with if it means guests will have a better experience. Disney World even has programs designed to deal with the local mosquito population, which, again, because we’re talking about swampland, that is full of bodies of water, can be a real problem.
Hopefully, your next visit to Disney's Animal Kingdom will leave all the animals behind the barriers. It's better for the guests, and honestly probably better for the animals too. Still, perhaps there's some value in getting to see some extra animals that most guests don't get to see. It's like a special VIP tour that doesn't cost you a lot more money.
