Mountain zebra at AKL

One of the prettiest animals at the savannas of Kidani are the Mountain zebra.

These guys are endangered in the natural habitat but thankfully Disney has had some success in breeding. You will often see little zebra out there in the exhibit. 

By Safari Mike 

Leap Tall Building in a Single Bound

The Impala is incredibly gorgeous and are widespread throughout the eastern half of Africa. They are also very athletic, as they can run about 30 miles per hour and can leap over 30 feet with a running start! They also communicate vocally by barking and roaring to their herd.

by Dave McBride (@RadioHarambe)

The Perfect Glamour Shot

There are some incredibly photogenic animals at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Animal kingdom Lodge, but probably none more so then the giraffes. Whether the Masai species at DAK, or the reticulated at AKL, they just love the camera. Get a nice zoom lens and you can get some incredible close-ups.

by Dave McBride (@RadioHarambe)

A Crown in the Grass

The majestic West African Crowned Crane is found on the main savanna at Kidani Village. These incredible birds can been seen and heard quite often, but it seems they do occasionally seek some alone time by sneaking into the tall grass.

by Dave McBride (@RadioHarambe)

Lunch at Pemba

Kidani Village is my favorite resort in all of Walt Disney World. It is quiet, incredibly gorgeous, and full of surprises. Head down to the pool and look to your right to see a whole separate savanna which is home to these kudus and okapi.

When I took this photo, I just happened to stop by Pemba with my camera just as lunch was being served. The okapi got to the buffet first and took off with the biggest piece.

by Dave McBride (@RadioHarambe

Crane for a View

African Crowned Cranes are popular at Disney's Animal Kingdom. There are a lot of spots where you can find these guys: Kidani Village, during Flights of Wonder, at queue for Kilimanjaro Safari, and at the Tree of Life. This photo was taken at the Tree. If you are lucky, you may get a chance these birds do their dance which includes exaggerate bowing and jumping.

This beautiful bird is the national bird of Uganda, and is featured on its flag and in its coat of arms.

by Safari Mike (@JamboEveryone)

Lunch at Kidani Village

At Kidani Village, animal specialists know where to put lunch. They will put little snacks out near popular viewing spots throughout the day. This entices the animals to come close to guests. It is a ploy that has been used in zoos ever since creating larger, naturalistic exhibits became the norm. Food is one sure fire way to get animals where you want them to go.

Here, a few beautiful roan antelope are snacking. There are about 75,000 roans still roaming the plains of Central and West Africa. In Kidani, they share the Sunset savanna with many other species such as the giraffe and eland seen in the background.

It's Always a Good Time for a Zebra Photo

It occurs to me that it has been a little while since I posted a zebra photo. So without further adieu...

by Dave McBride (@RadioHarambe)

Keep On Chewing!

Kidani Village is one of the best places anywhere in America to watch and photograph reticulated giraffes.  The best time is when the "lunch truck" comes around, which happened just a few seconds before this photo was taken.

by Dave McBride (@RadioHarambe)

Getting Ready for a New Day

The West African Crowned Crane is one of the most impressive birds found among Disney's family of wildlife.  They are big and elegant and can be found at both the Flights of Wonder and along the savannas at the Animal Kingdom Lodge.  I took this photo early in the morning at Kidani Village, as these two cranes were getting ready for a new day.

If you would like to learn a little bit more about this species, head on over to the Safari Mike blog where he did a post on the West Africa Crowned Crane earlier in the year.

photo by Dave McBride (@RadioHarambe)

Jungle Jim's Animal Portraits: Giraffe in Heaven

If you are looking to take some animal photos at Disney's Animal Kingdom or the Animal Kingdom Lodge, you will notice there are a few species that just seem to love the camera.  The giraffes are certainly near the top of that list, and Jungle Jim has dozens and dozens of great portraits of these popular and lovable creatures.

Even someone who only takes photos occasionally, and uses a phone or cheap camera, can get some great shots of the giraffes, especially at Kidani Village.  Just be patient and wait for them to come closer.  The reward can be worth the wait.

Everyone's A Critic

If we wanted to, we could probably pull an entire year worth of giraffe photos out of Jungle Jim's archives.  These gorgeous animals are certainly one of the most popular at Disney's Animal Kingdom and the Animal Kingdom Lodge, and Jim has taken plenty of great pics.

Upon first look, we were curious if Jungle Jim was maybe holding cotton candy or a Mickey Bar, as he usually does, and perhaps that aroma lured this Reticulated Giraffe over for a closer look.  But the more likely scenario is Jim was wearing another of his ridiculous Hawaiian shirt and plaid shorts ensembles, which can be enough to draw any creature in for a closer look.

photo by Jungle Jim

No Smiles from this Silverback

This portrait from Jungle Jim is of a male silverback gorilla found at the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail.  Obviously, Jim's constant pleas to have this guy smile for camera went ignored by our model.

Is there anything better than walking through the gorilla area of the Trail?  This area is breathtakingly gorgeous and the viewing of gorillas provides some fantastic and unique entertainment.  So next time you come of Kilimanjaro Safari, don't just run to your next FastPass time.  Turn right, and take an easy stroll through Pangani.  You will love it.

photo by Jungle Jim