We Bet You Didn't Know THIS About the Disney World Skyliner

Disney’s Animal Kingdom is a great place to see wildlife you may not get to see elsewhere in North America.

Kilimanjaro Safaris

You can take a safari through the Harambe Wildlife Reserve to see lions, cheetahs, and elephants or wander a path to see gorillas and tigers. There are many ways to see nature in the park. But did you know that the headwaters of the Florida Everglades begin on Walt Disney World property? If you’ve ridden the Disney Skyliner, then you’re probably familiar with the stretch of land that has a lot of native Florida wildlife. But you might not realize just how important that area is.

Back 50 years ago, what is now Disney World and the Orlando area was once a large wildlife migration area and natural habitat. But once Disney World was created, much of the area became populated and developed, leaving little area for the Florida wildlife to traverse. Recently, NPR brought to light just how important the left-over space is to Florida.

We love Cinderella Castle!

Disney has continued to keep one small patch of nature open and it’s just under the Skyliner, you probably hear about it every time you ride the gondola system. This area is part of a wildlife corridor that allows for Florida wildlife, like the black bear spotted in Magic Kingdom in September, to migrate north and south throughout the year. It’s also home to permanent wildlife like tortoises and woodpeckers.

The bear was caught on Tom Sawyer Island

Disney says having real nature there is not only good for the wildlife but also part of the guest experience, just as Walt Disney himself wanted it. Zak Gezon, a conservation manager with Disney, said, “he hand drew what Walt Disney World could look like, and it included a spine that went from north to south and east to west and allowed for wildlife to live in harmony with humans in this space.”

Rafiki’s Planet Watch Conservation Station

Zak also commented, “We want our guests as they go over on the Skyliner, and they look down as they’re going from resort to resort or park to park, to feel the wilderness that surrounds them. And you can look down and see the headwaters of the Everglades that are right here on property and see where it begins.”

Disney Skyliner

It turns out that this small patch of protected land is actually immensely important for Florida wildlife. It is “one of the only places left in this part of Florida that allows wildlife to migrate from the Everglades north to Orlando to the Green Swamp near Tampa.” What used to be a vast network of migration areas is now down to one. The preservation of this area is one of the top priorities of the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation.

Skyliner Gondola views

This stretch of migratory land is being called the last green thread by the Corridor Foundation because it is the last thing that is needed for wildlife to thrive in Florida. The group’s executive director hopes they can all work together to sustain the connections for the future of the animals. Hopefully, Disney’s conservation efforts include right in their own backyard.

For more Disney news, check back here on DFB.

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