Disney Legend and former Disney Imagineer Joe Rohde confirmed that Tropical Americas, the newest land being built at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, would not have live animals, at least for right now.
Joe Rohde Confirms No Live Animals in Tropical Americas
When asked by a fan on Instagram if live animals were in the works for Tropical Americas, Joe Rohde replied with the following comment:
“I agree that live animals are an important part of the park and that Tropical Americas would be better with live animals. But each opportunity for expansion also comes from a business opportunity. And in this case, the park needs rides for young people…preferably air-conditioned rides for a young people. And so out of a total budget, which, let me remind you is a budget for a remodel not a virgin ground entirely built from scratch land, the driving business priorities have to be met… Because that’s where the deal comes from. However, I do believe animals are important, and I do believe that they should be included in the future when a business plan can be written for that effort.”
Essentially, doing a remodel of the former DinoLand, U.S.A. introduces a more limited budget that isn’t conducive to live animals at this time, but Disney certainly could still include (and should, in Rohde’s opinion) live animals in the future.
Though live animals may not be at Tropical Americas when it opens in 2027, guests can still find their favorite animal friends – including Eeyore, Kevin, Simba, and Heimlich – on the new El Carrusel de los Animalitos (The Carousel of Little Animals).
Joe Rohde shared more thoughts about the Tropical Americas during his recent appearance at D23 2026. More of Rohde’s stories about his experience as a Disney Imagineer can be found in his upcoming book, “Floating Mountains: The Art of Imagining the Impossible.”
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