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mikeyrio
03-05-2011, 04:20 PM
Can anyone tell me or was i just seeing things,on my way to the Magic Kingdom last year i saw a glimpse of what i thought was a deer.Is there wild deer in Walt Disney World.
Also what other cool animals have people seen inside Walt Disney World.As we are staying in the Saratoga Springs in October hoping to see some wildlife around.

WDWdriver
03-05-2011, 04:26 PM
Yes, there are lots of deer roaming the undeveloped areas of WDW. You can often see them along the roadway near Fort Wilderness. You might also see raccoons, possums, armadillos, and numerous other smaller species of animals that make their home at WDW. And it is not unusual to spot an alligator there.

faline
03-05-2011, 04:56 PM
Back before Disney World got so huge, we used to see wild deer there all the time. In fact, on our way back to Fort Wilderness, the bus drivers would even stop the bus in the road to point them out to passengers. Can't do that any more without possibly causing a major accident!

I've seen alligator, opossum, armadillo, turtle, and, on our last trip, even saw a pair of otters in the water at Downtown Disney. Others have seen turky - though I haven't. I once saw a huge owl sitting on the top of a tree.

At one point, there was an alligator hanging out in the water in the Magic Kingdom. Last year, we saw one in the water by Coronado Springs.

tinksmom02
03-05-2011, 05:03 PM
I almost stepped on an armadillo while walking to the stairs of our building in CSR this past December. It didn't move that fast, but too fast for me to get a picture. Of course I was alone and no one believed me (some of the people we were with didn't believe me that there were armadillos in Florida at all :confused:). BUT, on our last night, coming home from MVMCP, my daughter and I saw an armadillo in the same spot. I like to think it was the same one. I also named him Andy. :blush:

hokies4life
03-05-2011, 05:21 PM
We've definitely seen alot of deer along the roads. A few years a go we saw an alligator in the waterway inside Magic Kingdom. While staying at Fort Wilderness we've seen opossums, armadillos, turtles, and bunnies. And at other resorts the little lizards and bunnies that run arounds. There are animals all over, you just have to keep an eye out for them.

:lizard::turtle::deer2::cap:

Missy_Mouses_Dad
03-05-2011, 05:42 PM
We have seen lots of turkeys on the way to the Contemporary.

DizneyFreak2002
03-05-2011, 07:14 PM
I stayed at Saratoga and Treehuoses and never saw a deer... But I did see a family of bunnies in Wilderness Lodge!!! I named one of them Thumper.... I know, I'm such a geek LOL...

sassafras
03-05-2011, 07:34 PM
We've seen lots of deer and 1 armadillo. The weirdest thing we ever saw was Disney employees trying to catch and wrangle an alligator out of the water between the Liberty Tree and Tom Sawyer's island. We spent a good half hour watching from the bridge (they'd shut down the walks) before we HAD to leave for our dinner reservation at the LT. I asked one of the workers if they had to catach it and was informed "Yes, since several youngsters fall in this thing a week!"

Suz36
03-05-2011, 07:55 PM
I also named him Andy. :blush:

Years ago we named a groundhog Andy, and it stuck so much that now when we see a groundhog, we shout, "There's an Andy!"

We've seen deer on the side of the road, turkeys at All-Star Music just this February, armadillos at Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness, and lots of bunnies and lizards. I even saw an alligator once on the ME ride back to MCO - of course, DH was sleeping at the time and thinks I'm nuts. I'd love to see an armadillo again - have even considered going over to Fort Wilderness just to see if we can find any.

Suz36
03-05-2011, 07:58 PM
I forgot! Just this February, we saw a bald eagle fishing right on the edge of Seven Seas Lagoon, between the bus stops and the ferry docks. It was an awesome sight! We'd seen one flying overhead in the same area a few years back while taking the boat from the Poly to MK.

Jillirose
03-05-2011, 08:47 PM
I forgot! Just this February, we saw a bald eagle fishing right on the edge of Seven Seas Lagoon, between the bus stops and the ferry docks. It was an awesome sight! We'd seen one flying overhead in the same area a few years back while taking the boat from the Poly to MK.

We saw a bald eagle in February cruising over Saratoga Springs.

Stitch98
03-05-2011, 08:55 PM
We stay at Wilderness Lodge and when coming back to our room at night, we have to be careful of not hitting deer. We have seen tons of them! :bambi:

magicofdisney
03-05-2011, 09:41 PM
Wild deer are ALL OVER Florida. Any long stretch of road without street lights is liable to have deer eating along side it. I see it so often I sometimes forget how wonderful a site it is.

We usually stay at the values. Many walk-ways on the outer edges are dark and quiet at night. While walking to our room, we OFTEN see wild bunnies snacking in the grass.

On more than one occasion we've seen LIVE armadillos in the parking lots. Just recently, I ran into one near the pool at one of the All Star Resorts. That was crazy because it was well lit and so many people were around.

Ed
03-05-2011, 10:07 PM
Yep, tons and tons of wildlife all around WDW. The thing to remember is that all that property was either forest, swamp or farm land before Disney bought it up. And only a relatively small percentage of the property has been developed.

Thus, there are still lots of critters living in them thar woods... and waterways... and golf courses... and parking lots...

jsw123
03-05-2011, 10:12 PM
My sister and her husband encountered a big snake like a python at the Polynessian resort when they honeymooned there years ago. They told the staff and it was like it was no big deal. They'd take care of it! OK, then!

waymickey
03-05-2011, 10:37 PM
We have seen the bald eagle as well, our boat captain told us that he had a nest in a tree near Seven Seas lagoon. Also we watched the alligator at toms sawyers island. when we pointed him out to a CM the CM put his finger to his mouth and said "sshhh,:secret: we have someone coming to get him. My job for now is to watch him until they arrive" We took a picture because we figured no one would believe a gator got into MK without a hopper pass! :haha:
We also try to see an armadillo each trip. One year when going to play mini golf, an armadillo walked out from some bushes right across my path. He startled me and I screamed. I was bummed that I was too startled to take a picture.

mikeyrio
03-06-2011, 06:15 AM
I think its great that one of my favorite places on the planet is still so wild and i hope it will always remains so.

Ed
03-06-2011, 06:52 AM
It's also rumored that you might encounter a five-foot-tall mouse or two, a six-foot-tall dog, an uncommonly large duck, and even flying elephants during your visit. :D

hoop de do
03-06-2011, 10:09 AM
It's also rumored that you might encounter a five-foot-tall mouse or two, a six-foot-tall dog, an uncommonly large duck, and even flying elephants during your visit. :D

After two Lapu Lapus I see the elephants also.
But they're pink. :papple::papple: :dumbo:

Sorry I have strayed. :offtopic:

Seriously we enjoy seeing all the wildlife also.
When staying at the cabins we had visitors everyday.

slegrant
03-06-2011, 10:15 AM
We usually stay in the cabins at Fort WIlderness and my family and i have seen lots of deer. We have also seen otters, alligators, rabbits, turkey, owls and we too have seen the Bald Eagle several times. It's part of the charm of Fort WIlderness to me. If you ever get a chance walk the bike path between Fort WIlderness and the Wilderness Lodge and you will see lots of deer:mickey:

Daisy712
03-06-2011, 05:49 PM
I saw a bald eagle as we were pulling into the bus stops at Magic Kingdom. I was very surprised. I chachaed it to see if it was possible to see bald eagles in central Florida. Chacha said that they are working to increase the population in central Florida. Very cool.

PETE FROM NYC
03-06-2011, 06:34 PM
In 2007, while staying at Movies, there were a bunch of bunnies outside of our room every night.
Last September, we stayed ay BLT and saw upwards of 60 hawks that like to hang around near the tennis courts.

faline
03-06-2011, 06:52 PM
In 2007, while staying at Movies, there were a bunch of bunnies outside of our room every night.
Last September, we stayed ay BLT and saw upwards of 60 hawks that like to hang around near the tennis courts.

The hawks and vultures are ever present so I didn't even mention them. Other birds around include egrets (Everywhere!); herons; and pelicans.

johnO
03-06-2011, 10:56 PM
Yes, with all of the green space inside the resort property, there are tons of deer

thatkindofday
03-06-2011, 11:00 PM
My dad had pictures of my sister and i about 20 years ago at the capground with about 3 white peacocks and 5 ducks in the background. I've also seen an armidillo (the only one I've ever seen).

doombuggygal
03-06-2011, 11:14 PM
On our last visit to WDW while riding the MK Railroad we saw 2 deer standing next to the 2 fake deer that can bee seen along the route. That was pretty cool!

Melanie
03-07-2011, 07:55 AM
A few weeks ago we were stopped on the resort monorail right above the waterway where the electrical pageant enters Seven Seas Lagoon. Looking down, we saw tons of deer milling around. It was cool!

JakeontheCob
03-07-2011, 08:34 AM
I love seeing the peacocks on top of the Hoop Dee Doo house. We have also seen to many gecko's to count.

slegrant
03-07-2011, 08:38 AM
Forgot about all the peacocks we used to see at Fort Wilderness, kinda wish they were still there.:mickey:

wdwfansince75
03-07-2011, 10:02 AM
Since I first spotted them many visits ago, one of my goals every trip is to look for deer while riding the EPCOT monorail...and I don't remember a trip without spotting them! Best time is an early morning ride...usually see them along the ponds before EPCOT drive. We have also seen them on the golf course from our room at SoG...along with the ever present wild turkeys.

We also spotted wild pigs several times...once, we spotted them walking along the road toward the Westway toll road...don't know where they carry their quarters....also spotted them one morning just past the Hess station, as we were driving towards AK for morning EMH....people were pulling off the road to take pictures...

Ian
03-07-2011, 10:32 AM
Yeah, we deer all over the place down there. On our last trip, we actually saw what I'm fairly certain was either a weasel or an otter on the beach at Contemporary. I saw this really long (3 - 4 feet) thin animal bounding down the beach and then it just dove into Bay Lake and swam off.

I've also seen quite a few gators in both Bay Lake and Seven Seas Lagoon.

faline
03-07-2011, 10:41 AM
We also spotted wild pigs several times......

Interesting, I've never seen pigs there!

Stu29573
03-07-2011, 03:25 PM
I've told this story before, but it fits well here...

We were taking a fairly early morning cruise on the Mark Twain when a four foot long gator started swimming beside the boat. A young couple was standing next to us, and the wife asked her husband "Is that real?" He confidently answered, "No, this is Disney World!"

When we got off I quietly informed the CM on the dock and he said he would call animal control...

ransam
03-07-2011, 03:51 PM
I was wondering where Bambi was in WDW. i guess now we know!
either that or they are some of the best autoamoics ever.

Mousemates
03-07-2011, 06:05 PM
Our coolest encounter was with a river otter in bay lake behind the Contemporary Resort....(sounds like the three foot mystery creature ian saw above) have also seen deer, wild turkeys (near the GF), snakes (at Typhoon lagoon) armadillo, raccoons, opossum, and rabbits.

wdwfansince75
03-07-2011, 10:01 PM
Interesting, I've never seen pigs there!

Your response made me google "wild pigs at disney world"....found the following:

http://www.intercot.com/images/pixel.gif
NEWS
Wild Pigs Cause Traffic to Wallow Near Disney World (http://www.intercot.com/1990-04-15/news/mn-1685_1_wild-pigs)


April 15, 1990 | United Press International and
A herd of 30 wild pigs wandered onto the shoulder of a highway near Walt Disney World, causing a traffic snarl as motorists slowed for a good look and to take snapshots. "They're wild pigs and they came out of the woods and the next thing you know, people are slowing down," Lt. Randy Harper of the Florida Highway Patrol said last week. The pigs contributed to an hourlong traffic tie-up.





Don't think the herds we saw were quite that large.

Imagineer1981
03-08-2011, 04:24 PM
Definitely tons of deer and other wildlife. I can't tell you how many deer i've almost hit driving backstage to get to MK cast parking

slegrant
03-08-2011, 04:44 PM
We have seen the wild hogs just once and it was by the maingate. My wife and I also thought we saw a coyote on our monorail trip over to Epcot, it was walking along the pond as we were looking out the left side of the monorail along the main entrance towards the Magic Kingdom.

Seeing all the Wildlife is pretty cool if you ask me especially with Walt Disney being such an animal lover:mickey:

pox24
03-08-2011, 04:47 PM
Oh yes, i play golf there quite often and come right to the tee box and nibble the trees. It is awesome.

jillluvsdisney
03-08-2011, 08:44 PM
We had a first floor, woods view room at WL that faced towards the MK. There was a pond right outside our patio. We saw 2 otters swimming in there.

Ed
03-08-2011, 10:53 PM
I love seeing the peacocks on top of the Hoop Dee Doo house. We have also seen to many gecko's to count.


Forgot about all the peacocks we used to see at Fort Wilderness, kinda wish they were still there.:mickey:

Yep. Forget about the peacocks. They were evicted after numerous complaints about them being overly aggressive - - a fact that I and my famous red shorts can attest to!



On our last trip, we actually saw what I'm fairly certain was either a weasel or an otter on the beach at Contemporary. I saw this really long (3 - 4 feet) thin animal bounding down the beach and then it just dove into Bay Lake and swam off.

Otters are pretty common in this area. Cute little critters!


Oh yes, i play golf there quite often and come right to the tee box and nibble the trees. It is awesome.

You nibble the trees ???? I'd recommend you change your diet. WDW frowns on having their guests eating the landscaping. :D


:cool:

joonyer
03-09-2011, 11:23 AM
Deer, otters, beavers, squirrels, fox, snakes, even alligators and yes maybe even feral pigs, are all normal critters that you might see along roads and ponds in central Florida.

But if you see any rhinos, giraffes or elephants wandering about, you may want to call Animal Kingdom and suggest they check their fences. :D

RavsRuleDisney!
03-09-2011, 02:49 PM
Definately deer! A few years back while staying at WL I took my DS on a bike ride through the FW area - he was riding in a kiddie seat. At one point I see 2-3 deer about 20 yards to the right of me in the woods.

I don't know if I startled them or what, but one comes barrelling towards me and I slam on my brakes....he is coming straight at us and I have nowhere to go, no real options but to just hold on tight. He hits the path literally a few feet in front of the bike, loses his footing and goes down for a sec, bounces back up and tears across the other side into the brush. SCARY!!

If he had hit us we would have been seriously hurt, especially my little guy. And you would be posting about me and my DS and the deer tragedy at WDW! :( Close call....

faline
03-09-2011, 03:18 PM
At one point I see 2-3 deer about 20 yards to the right of me in the woods.

I don't know if I startled them or what, but one comes barrelling towards me and I slam on my brakes....he is coming straight at us and I have nowhere to go, no real options but to just hold on tight. He hits the path literally a few feet in front of the bike, loses his footing and goes down for a sec, bounces back up and tears across the other side into the brush. SCARY!!

That does sound like a frightening encounter. While we all tend to think of deer as timid, gentle animals, they are still wild and those who get too used to people can actually be dangerous. When we were out at the Grand Canyon, there were lots of warnings to not feed the deer and they even posted pictures of people being attacked by overly aggressive deer looking for handouts!

EeyoresBestFriend
03-13-2011, 08:50 PM
Seen lotsa deer. The funniest one we saw was in Pocohontas' (?) camp while riding the train in MK. He was standing with the fake ones and then started to walk away - otherwise we wouldn't have noticed him! :)

See alot of black snakes in FQ. They seem to be on the walkways alot ~ the warmth I guess. Never known if they are dangerous or not ~ DH always gives me heck when I "assist" them out of harms way. :thumbsup: