According to a new rumor, the Affection Section at Disney’s Animal Kingdom will close permanently. The petting zoo area of Rafiki’s Planet Watch at Conservation Station will reportedly close as Disney prepares to welcome popular children’s show character Bluey. Cast Members at the Affection Section have been telling guests that the area will be closing soon for the past few weeks. Here’s the latest.
Affection Section Petting Zoo Closing Permanently at Animal Kingdom
Encounter a variety of adorable animals at the only petting zoo at the Walt Disney World Resort.
Meet a variety of unique, domesticated animals and interact with our animal care experts at this expansive, outdoor space.
The Affection Section is Walt Disney World’s only petting zoo, and it may soon be a thing of the past. Located at Rafiki’s Planet Watch in Conservation Station, the Affection Section and supporting infrastructure take up roughly 2/3rds of an acre.
The Affection Section currently has operating hours through mid-March, which is as far into the future as the Walt Disney World operating calendar is posted.
It’s unclear why the Affection Section may be closing, but one possibility is to support the arrival of Bluey and Bingo. This Summer, Bluey and Bingo will take up residence in Conservation Station, where you can play and dance with popular Australian Cattle Dogs. Disney says that guests will be able to get the wiggles out with fun animal twists to some of their favorite games from Bluey episodes, like butterfly Keepy Uppy.
Disney also says that as part of your wild excursion, guests can step outside to discover an experience with animals native to Bluey’s home country of Australia!
If we had to guess, the Affection Section could be closing to support a new exhibit featuring animals native to Australia. Of course, at least one Australian species already exists in Disney’s Animal Kingdom in the form of Kangaroos near the Tree of Life. While Disney hasn’t named the animals that will be coming to Conservation Station, it’s possible that whatever they are, they may end up in the former Affection Section.
Walt Disney World did not return a request for comment about the future of the Affection Section. Cast Members that we spoke with were hopeful that a closing date would be announced with enough lead time for guests to come and enjoy the Affection Section one last time before its “rumored” closure before Summer.
As with any rumor, you should treat the information in this article as unofficial unless and until Walt Disney World confirms it.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!
