Party for the Planet at Disney's Animal Kingdom

This Friday, April 22, 2011 Disney's Animal Kingdom will prepare a party to remind everyone how important it is that we think about the Earth and its inhabitants. Learn more about the event

________________________________________________________________________

Party for the Planet - Including Africa's Big Cats - this Earth Day

African wildlife experiences inspire many people who are transformed by the beauty and close proximity to wild animals. How fitting then that this year's Earth Day event April 22 at Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park integrates the new Disneynature film "African Cats" into the annual theme: Celebrate Earth Day with a Party for the Planet.

The new Disneynature film "African Cats," which premieres on Earth Day, tells the story of a lion and a cheetah family living on an African savanna.

Disney's great storytellers reveal the saga of a cheetah and lion family living on an African savanna. At Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park, we will bring this story to life by creating fun activities that feature lions and cheetahs and how researchers study them. 

Inside Conservation Station at Rafiki's Planet Watch, "Be a Big Cat Researcher" activities will focus on how scientists study big cats in the wild. Guests will:

• Record lion and cheetah behaviors on an ethogram, which a comprehensive list of an animal's or other organism's behaviors.
• Help find solutions to conservation issues that affect lions and cheetahs.
• Learn about GPS collars, camera traps and other animals who share the savanna with lions and cheetahs.
• Hear cheetah and lion vocalizations to other cats across the savanna.
• Discover where the few remaining lions and cheetahs are found on the continent of Africa. 

Guests can participate in a variety of activities at the Party for the Planet.

The Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund (DWCF) will showcase lion and cheetah projects that the fund supports in several African countries, and Animal Programs cast members will share the many wildlife conservation projects that they are involved in throughout the world.

With only 20,000 lions and 12,000 cheetahs remaining in the wild, they need our help. See the film "African Cats" in the first week and our company will give 20 cents per ticket to the African Wildlife Foundation through DWCF to protect big cats and the savanna. To find out more about Disney conservation efforts, visit www.disney.com/conservation.

Families visiting Party for the Planet also can visit the Earth Day activity station, Connecting Kids to Nature, to try gardening, camping, birding, tracking footprints and exploring the invertebrate world right in their backyards. 

________________________________________________________________________

Very interesting, right? Big cats (lions, tigers, cheetahs) are really great to observe, and really show how great nature is, with their majestic look, and their interesting behavior.