Ever Wondered How the Disney Animals Deal With a COLD Day in Florida?

With Florida being nicknamed “The Sunshine State“, we hardly ever have to worry about temperatures getting too cold.

On the rare occasion that it does get chilly — Disney’s Animal Kingdom Care Team has an important job to do! We’re taking a behind-the-scenes look at how Disney cares for its animals when the “Florida winter” just won’t let it go.

Director of Animal and Science Operations for Disney World, Dr. Scott Terrell, was recently interviewed by the Orlando Sentinel and gave an inside scoop on what it takes to keep the animals comfortable when it gets cold. He explained that there are specific “temperature parameters” for every species in the park!

Giraffe on Kilimanjaro Safaris at Animal Kingdom

Dr. Terrell went on to tell the Orlando Sentinel that they typically give animals the choice to come indoors or not — adding that sometimes the care team makes the decision for the animals in extreme situations. A baby or elderly animal might need to come inside before the rest of the animals would, for example.

A member of Disney’s Animal Care Team interacts with animals

Planning for extreme weather is not new to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, however. When the park first opened, it was important to the team that only animals who are comfortable in Florida’s climate be shared with guests.

But, there are those few and far between times when the care team has to prepare the animals for colder weather, and when they do, they’re definitely prepared. For more Disney park stories and updates, be sure to stay tuned to AllEars!