Caring for Giants: Elephants Up Close!
By: Christina Szewczuk9.20.18Hey animal lovers, did you know that Animal Kingdom has a series of up close animal experiences? One such tour is “Caring For Giants”; a tour about Elephants where you get to pick the brain of the keepers and spend some time viewing the elephants from backstage. It is one of the more affordable tours, as far as up close animal experiences go. My daughter loves elephants, so this was a great opportunity for us to check out the tour.
I kept this a secret from my daughter so I was able to surprise her after our safari. She was so excited! We got off the Kilimanjaro Safaris and eagerly headed over to the kiosk. It was clearly marked “Animal Curiosity Tours” and a Cast Member was there to check us in and give us our nametags. You need to check in 15 minutes before your tour. It is near the bathrooms too, so make sure you go if you have to because there is nowhere to go during the hour and a half tour.
The driver collects your tour group and directs you to a Walt Disney World van. There were only five of us in this tour so it was a nice intimate group. We got into the van and were driven through the backstage area to the elephant viewing area. There are no pictures allowed in the back stage area. It is kind of a fun feeling seeing that side of the park. It feels like you’re somewhere you’re not supposed to be! If you are lucky, your cast member may choose to point out a fun hidden Mickey in the floating islands of Pandora that is only visible from the cast member parking lot. (Thanks imagineers!) You drive through the cast member parking lot and past the holding pens for the elephants. The pens are kind of like their bedrooms. They go in there at night to sleep and rest, but are free to roam for the most part.
Your final destination is the back area behind where the Safari tour stops for the elephant section of the Safari. There are steps and a platform where you can view the elephants close up; much closer than from the safari jeep! We got to see the whole elephant family and little baby Stella, who was only 10 months old at the time. The elephant keeper comes up to chat with you. They give you information on how they care for the elephants plus some information about each elephant and their traits and personalities. They also discuss the dangers elephants are facing and the research being conducted in Animal Kingdom to help with the conservation efforts. You can ask the keeper anything you want! So if you plan to take this tour, I suggest coming up with a few questions to ask beforehand because it’s hard to think of things on the spot.
The most memorable thing I took from this tour is how the Conservation Society and Disney are working together to help combat the killing of elephants in Africa and to slow the extinction of these magnificent creatures. Another thing I learned at the end of the tour was that the money generated by this tour goes directly to the research and conservation of elephants worldwide. So just by taking this tour, you are contributing to the conservation of the elephant population of the world! (And you get a cool pin too!) It is definitely worth the time and money to take a few moments and learn about these animals from knowledgeable professionals. I would definitely recommend this for any animal lover but especially for those who love elephants!If you’d like more travel news and tips and tricks, follow me on social media Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest! For information on booking a trip, please email me at Christina@WishesFamilyTravel.com.