Dr. Mark at Disney Gives Thanks to Cast Members plus an Update on the Animals at Disney World. Yesterday, the day after Hurricane Milton went over central Florida, Disney World reopened with little to no damage being reported. One concern we know many people have and a question often asked is how the animals fare during bad weather at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and across the Walt Disney World-owned properties like the Parks, the Lodge, the Ranch, The Living Seas, and other places animals are cared for by Disney Conservation & Animal Care.
Apparently, they all made it through unscathed, since, according to Dr. Mark Penning and Dr. Scott Terrell “all the animals had a place to tuck in and hide” Which is a direct quote from both experts. We ran into them, okay running into them is the wrong verb, I saw them walking from Kilimanjaro Safari with Vice-President Maryann Smith and stopped them. I had never met Dr. Mark or Dr. Scott and was excited to see them both together inside Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
From a Disney fan perspective, it was important to run into them the day after the Hurricane. It showed me that they both have a hands-on approach to animal care and personally wanted to make sure everything and every animal was okay and taken care of. This was proven a few hours later when Dr. Mark Penning aka DrMarkatDisney gave us an update on the animals and a big Thank you to Cast Members.
Dr. Mark Penning oversees animal care and environmental initiatives for Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products at sites around the globe. Mark also leads the teams responsible for Disney field conservation efforts and the responsible portrayal of animals and nature in film and television productions.
Dr. Terrell serves as the Director of Animal and Science Operations for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Worldwide. In this executive role, he leads a team of more than 700 animal care professionals, educators, scientists, and veterinarians who provide animal care and guest experiences for Disney theme parks and resorts around the world.
“Thank you to our incredible professionals. Just as our cast members and guests rode out the storm during Hurricane Milton, our team of animal experts cared for the thousands of animals that call Walt Disney World home. From beautiful birds (like flamingos 🦩) to the smallest butterflies and our family of mighty western lowland gorillas, cast members monitored conditions, kept a watchful eye on the animals and assessed and carefully removed storm debris before moving the animals back into their habitats, after the storm passed.”
