Could Disney's Animal Kingdom Be Getting a MASSIVE Upgrade?

Disney’s Animal Kingdom is filled with some of our favorite experiences and attractions at Disney World. One of them is the Kilimanjaro Safaris, because of how unique and adventurous the experience is.

Elephants

Well, it looks like the attraction could be getting a game-changing upgrade, as Disney just filed a patent application for technology that uses artificial intelligence to watch animals and alert when activity is happening. Let’s take a look at what we know so far!

Disney could be setting up an AI system that’ll monitor the animals at Animal Kingdom and alert guests and Cast Members when something interesting or concerning is happening. This could be a massive change at Animal Kingdom. Could you imagine if a Cast Member could be alerted about an injured animal immediately?! Or imagine if you could get a notification that the male lion is out at the safari?!

Kilimanjaro Safaris

The filing is titled “Techniques for Automatically Monitoring Animal Behaviors and Generating Notifications.” It was published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office today (September 24th, 2026). Disney Enterprises, Inc. filed the application on March 19th, 2025.

©Disney

It’s important to know that this is NOT guaranteed. Disney is still waiting on approval for the patent. In fact, there are many cases where patent applications never become granted patents. Even if they do, they can take years.

©Disney

So, how would it work? Well, the patent describes cameras placed throughout an “animal encounter facility”. These cameras would feed images and video to a machine learning model trained to spot which animals are present and what they are doing. If something happens that is worth flagging, it sends a notification. The alert could notify guests that animals are active and in what specific viewing area or tell Cast Members that an animal is showing signs of distress or blocking a path.

©Disney

The patent describes the system running through fixed-place cameras, cameras mounted on vehicles, or cameras carried on drones. Animal Kingdom already sees its Cast Members watch out for animal activity to show guests where good viewing moments may happen, especially at attractions like Kilimanjaro Safaris. This patent application could do that work automatically and take the load off of some Cast Members.

Tucker on the savannah

Could you imagine if your phone told you there were a bunch of giraffes or zebras on the pathway of the safari?! Guests would be running to get on the attraction! We’ll be keeping an eye out for more news from Disney, so make sure to stay tuned to the Disney Food Blog!

What You Need To Know About Dining At Disney World’s NEWEST Restaurant

Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!

WE KNOW DISNEY.
YOU CAN, TOO.

Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.

Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!

What do you think about this new patent? Let us know in the comments!