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Credit: DisneyMultiple Walt Disney World Resort guests recently shared alarming stories about an animal-vehicle collision on the Kilimanjaro Safaris attraction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park.
Kilimanjaro Safaris is, by far, Walt Disney World Resort’s largest theme park attraction. Guests board a bus-like, open-air vehicle and traverse a multi-acre wildlife preserve inhabited by giraffes, lions, elephants, warthogs, rhinoceroses, cheetahs, and hundreds of other animals.
The ride houses most of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park’s animals–though many others are on view on the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail, Maharajah Jungle Trek, and habitats near the Tree of Life.
During a recent Reddit discussion about the “craziest things” Walt Disney World Resort guests witnessed on Kilimanjaro Safaris, two Disney Park guests shared alarmingly similar stories about drivers allegedly hitting bongos with their ride vehicles.
“During a night time ride our driver drove straight into a Bongo while their attention was elsewhere,” Redditor u/BobbaGanush87 wrote. “The Bongo was standing there the whole time. They called it in and said ‘It jumped in front of the vehicle’. The Bongo ran into the darkness of the night.”
u/psychosholtis shared a similar experience:
“It was after dark and apparently the driver didn’t see the Bongo walking across the road and he hit it with the truck. It was ok, but he had to stop the safari and we all had to wait for people to come out and make sure everything was ok.”
It’s unclear if the guests were on the same ride or if they experienced two similarly distressing incidents.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park has a team of veterinarians that quickly respond to and address any animal illness or accidents with the thousands of animals that call the Central Florida Disney park home. Their facilities are Association of Zoos & Aquariums-accredited, meaning they must adhere to a high standard of care and animal welfare subject to regular audits.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen on Kilimanjaro Safaris at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park? Share your experience with Inside the Magic in the comments.
Please note that the story outlined in this article is based on a personal Disney Parks guest experience. No two guest experiences are alike, and this article does not necessarily align with Inside the Magic’s personal views on Disney Park operations.