Credit: DisneyDisney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge has been having a remarkable spring and early summer in terms of baby animal arrivals, and the pattern of new life on the savannas at Jambo House and Kidani Village has given guests visiting the resort in 2026 a series of genuinely compelling reasons to spend time watching the wildlife that makes this particular Disney property unlike anything else in the Walt Disney World portfolio. Earlier in March, an Ankole cattle calf was born at the lodge, marking the first Ankole cattle birth at Walt Disney World in over twenty years. The arrival of three red river hog piglets followed, adding visually striking, immediately lovable animals to a savanna that was already attracting guests who made the trip to Animal Kingdom Lodge specifically to see what was happening on the wildlife grounds this season.
The theme park itself, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, is one of the most underrated parks at Walt Disney World for its genuine commitment to animal care and conservation, and the Kilimanjaro Safaris attraction that takes guests through a sweeping recreation of an African savanna has been one of the park’s signature experiences since the day Animal Kingdom opened in 1998. The animals on the Kilimanjaro Safaris route are real, the landscapes are authentic in their design, and the experience of rounding a bend in an open-air safari vehicle and encountering a giraffe at close range is the kind of moment that does not diminish regardless of how many times a guest has done it.
A baby giraffe changes that experience entirely. There is something about witnessing a young animal in the earliest stages of its life, still figuring out how its legs work, still staying close to its mother while curiosity and confidence develop in tandem, that turns a safari ride into something more personal and more memorable than the standard encounter. Walt Disney World’s animal care team has been working with a Masai giraffe calf born earlier this spring, and on June 5, Disney officially revealed her name.
Her name is Ivy.
What We Know About Ivy
The female Masai giraffe calf was born earlier this spring at Walt Disney World, weighing an impressive 120 pounds and standing nearly 6 feet tall at birth. Both numbers are consistent with what healthy Masai giraffe calves typically weigh and measure at birth, which is remarkable in itself, given that a six-foot-tall newborn is not something most guests have a reference point for outside of the animal kingdom.
Since her birth, Ivy has been bonding with her mother, Willow, behind the scenes, away from the public-facing areas of the savanna, while the two establish their relationship and Ivy develops the confidence and physical capability needed for savanna life. Animal care experts have confirmed that Ivy is thriving, which is the most important piece of information in any baby animal announcement and the one that allows every subsequent detail about debut timelines and viewing opportunities to land with the full excitement they deserve.
The timeline for Ivy’s debut on the Kilimanjaro Safaris savanna is described as “very soon,” which means guests visiting Animal Kingdom in the near term should watch for her among the giraffe group that roams the safari route throughout the operating day.
The Animal Kingdom Lodge Baby Animal Season
Ivy’s naming announcement arrives in the context of a spring 2026 baby animal season at Walt Disney World that has been genuinely exceptional. The Ankole cattle calf born at Animal Kingdom Lodge in March represented the first birth of that species at the resort in over twenty years, a significant event for the animal care team and a rare opportunity for guests to observe a young Ankole cattle calf alongside its mother on the Kidani Village savanna. Ankole cattle are among the most visually striking residents of the lodge’s wildlife grounds, characterized by their dramatically curved horns and their cultural significance across East Africa, and a calf adds a dimension to the savanna experience that guests who make the trip during the current season will remember.
The three red river hog piglets born backstage at Animal Kingdom Lodge earlier this year represent another layer of the season’s arrivals. Red river hogs are visually distinctive animals with striking reddish coats, dramatic facial markings, and tufted ears, making them immediately recognizable and consistently popular with guests who encounter them on the savanna. The piglets have been bonding with their mother behind the scenes and are expected to make their savanna debut once the animal care team determines they are ready for the transition.
How to See Ivy and the Other Baby Animals at Disney
Ivy will be visible on the Kilimanjaro Safaris route at Disney’s Animal Kingdom once she makes her debut. The safari operates daily during park hours and guests can increase their chances of giraffe sightings by riding during the earlier morning hours when the animals tend to be most active across the savanna.
The Ankole cattle calf and the red river hog piglets are at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge rather than at the park itself, and seeing them requires a visit to the lodge’s savanna viewing areas. Guests do not need a room reservation to visit Animal Kingdom Lodge. The complimentary bus service from Disney Springs provides access to the resort without any ticket or reservation requirement. Dining reservations at Jiko, Boma, or Sanaa offer another access route that combines savanna wildlife viewing with some of the best restaurant experiences at Walt Disney World. Sanaa in particular offers direct savanna views from the dining room, which means guests can watch the wildlife including the Ankole cattle family while eating, a combination that remains extraordinary regardless of how many times a guest has experienced it.
Ivy is thriving. Her debut on the Kilimanjaro Safaris savanna is coming soon. And the baby animal season at Walt Disney World in 2026 has been remarkable enough to justify a visit specifically around what is currently living and growing on those savannas.
