Animal Kingdom is a 500-acre environment that celebrates all things furred, feathered and four-footed, but it's also a place of fun ... and fundamentals of earth and life sciences.

The sun that reaches its midday high above Lake Buena Vista, Fla., is fading from the sky over Africa, the continent re-created at Walt Disney World's newest theme-park attraction. And though the Serengeti is halfway around the world, visitors walking along the paths of Animal Kingdom undergo a remarkable transformation. Ambient noises slowly change from the chatter of parents and children to the quiet of a rocky grotto, where the only sounds are running water and whispers inspired by the slow, lumbering gait of an anteater.

"We came to Disney World for an exciting family vacation," says Laura Christian of Lake Ontario, Canada. "We have spent time in the other Disney parks, leaving with over-stimulated and exhausted children. Spending the day at Animal Kingdom, the children had a wonderful time, but the conversations were different. It has made them more inquisitive. They are refreshed and will take home some very important lessons about what they have learned here."

The centerpiece of the park is the incredible Tree of Life, a synthetic structure that reaches 145 feet high and boasts a trunk diameter of 55 feet. Hidden within its roots is a 430-seat theater. Apart from its size, the tree offers a magnificent carving of 325 animals in its bark. Visitors will find new animals intertwined in the tree tapestry representing hundreds of species.

"This whole park is about the real animals found in Africa, Asia and even the extinct dinosaurs," says Tom Sze, a concept architect for Walt Disney World. "It teaches about and it celebrates all these marvelous creatures, from the biggest wild African elephant to the smallest stinkbug."

Discovery River boats take visitors on meandering rides past erupting water spouts and metal Chinese dragons to DinoLand U.S.A. On the banks of the river, riders can watch a gentle giant iguanodon grazing on the river grasses. The entrance to. DinoLand proper is guarded by a skeletal Tyrannosaurus rex. Kids dig up the remains of a woolly mammoth, learn about archaeology or frolic down slides and among cooling sprays of water.

"We wanted to celebrate dinosaurs while giving everybody an opportunity to enjoy them and learn about them on their own level," says Ann Malmlund, a show producer. "One of the most important elements we have introduced is the ability to touch and discover the cast replica dinosaur bones."

Dinosaurs and Disney have a long history together. Walt Disney personally oversaw the construction of the first animatronic Disney dinosaurs more than 35 years ago for the New York World's Fair. For that exhibit, the Disney Imagineers built a meandering ride through a prehistoric world of slowly moving massive creatures.

"Dinosaurs are one of the most alive sciences today because we are finding out new things all the time," says Malmlund. "In elementary school, they told me that dinosaurs where slow and cold-blooded. Now we know that is not true. I am amazed that science would change that much in such a short time, and presenting those changes within DinoLand U.S.A. has been exciting for all of us."

Animal Kingdom's dinosaur ride, "Countdown to Extinction," is a transdimensional journey through time. As children wait anxiously in line, they are led through a museumlike foyer that overviews past dinosaur exhibitions. Visitors can see and learn about the soft-shelled turtles, lizards and beetles whose ancestors survived the asteroid that apparently killed off the giants of prehistory. In the rotunda, people meet the giant carnosaur and learn how scientists study the death of the dinosaurs. "There is a real piece of the KT Boundary [the layer of asteroid matter just beneath the Earth's surface] in the fossil show, the `Dinosaur Jubilee,'" says Malmlund.

But the ride itself is the main event, filled with sudden surprises, but fun for courageous riders of all ages. James Correira, 6, of South Dartmouth, Mass., was hesitant about getting on the ride. "It was neat, and I was only a little scared" he says. "I liked all of the dinosaurs in the ride, and I learned that they are not scary at all."

The possibility of species extinction is a major concern to the team of animal keepers, veterinarians, behavioral specialists and curators who take care of the more than 1,000 animals that: roam the 500 acres. All of the animals come from national and international zoos and private collections; some are there on breeding loans. None has been taken from the wild.

Before getting into line for the Kilimanjaro Safaris, visitors may spend time in the village of Harambe. The town, though filled with lights, textures and colors, has not one flashing bulb or neon sign. The only thing that twirls is the dancer with the native African street band.

"Harambe is true to form as to the textures and essence of an East African coastal town," says architect Sze. "We created an old town, and it tells a history of that place. It's subtle, but if you sit back and look at it, you will understand the town's story." Harambe's thatch-roofed, pole-supported structures were built by a team of 15 Zulu tribesmen. "We used the same materials that would be used in the construction of a thatch-roofed building in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa," says Sze. "But the construction of the building is unique to any building techniques we have in the U.S., and we needed to have the Zulu tribesmen come show us how they are built."

The village is the starting point for Kilimanjaro Safaris and the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail. Along one trail, visitors peer through a clear Plexiglas wall to watch a Silverback gorilla and its family -- a teenager, baby and mother in their natural habitat. Along another, they watch a group of hippos frolic underwater, or they can step into what seems to be an open-air aviary filled with colorful birds. They also may meet native Africans, such as Hema Shah, 22, of Tanzania.

"We consider this park to be a great thing because it does promote our culture," says Shah. "By being here, we can share our culture and our dialect with people. We encourage our colleagues from Africa, the United States and other countries to expand their knowledge and to teach each other and the children who visit the Animal Kingdom about their cultures. In many ways, for the animals and for the people, Animal Kingdom is a very good step ahead."

The most exciting journey the kingdom has to offer may be the Kilimanjaro Safaris. As the day cools across the Serengeti-inspired landscape, the animals become more active. A pair of 17-foot-tall reticulated giraffes, native to Kenya, bend awkwardly to drink from a lake. In a Disney spin on conservation, poachers stage a raid to capture and kill Big and Little Red, the female elephant matriarch and her calf.

"We have included the story of poachers, a real-life danger to animals in the wild," says Sze. "Throughout the time people are waiting to go on the safari, we try to teach about the conservation of animals and the species that are endangered because of pollution and poaching"

Observant safari riders will be able to spot numerous animals, from baboons high in the trees to alligators and crocodiles lazing on the riverbanks. Black and white rhinoceroses and zebras roam freely across the plains, sometimes stopping tour traffic as they saunter across the path.

"I think when one gets away from the music, the singing and the Disney part of it, the exhibits are wonderful," says anthropologist Jane Goodall, who visited Animal Kingdom during its opening days. "The animal caregivers are just fantastic. I think the people who come here for the Disney glitz and then get led out to look at the animals -- well, maybe they will start to think about conservation in a new way. It may open their eyes to the world around them."

Who knows? Maybe some of the children who visit today later will join Goodall and the hundreds of animal experts who work to ensure the safety and well-being of wild animals.

COPYRIGHT 1998 News World Communications, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group