Animal Exhibits

Written by @PerGron

Dromedary camel

Located right at the entrance of the Zerzura Caravan attraction is a habitat for the attraction’s stars: dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius). Unlike the ones featured on the attraction, these camels are the real deal.

Found in the camel habitat are a trio of females and a single male, all rescued from circuses or roadside zoos in which they were riding camels that have been retired to Disney’s Lost Kingdoms. The four live in this 1-acre habitat where they are able to run to their heart’s content, something you’ll often see them do. Although they may look clumsy with their spindly legs and large flat feet, they are actually quite agile, made for running across the sand.

Circling the exhibit, guests can learn a little bit, through educational interpretation, about the natural history of dromedary camels, as well as their connection and history with people. This includes interpretive signs and artifacts, including a traditional Arabian camel saddle that guests can sit in to take pictures.

The animals are on the older side, and, being domestic, Disney does not breed them as they do not have any conservation-focused reason to do so. Instead, the male is castrated in order to prevent breeding.

The whole exhibit is themed to a camel pen build by people who owned the camels. Thus, the exhibit features sand dunes and sweeping landscapes but also has a clearly visible barn and some unique man-made structures.



Sultan's Garden of wings

Located to the left side of the land, nearby the entrance to Curse of the King's Tomb is the Sultan's Garden of Wings, an aviary that houses exotic birds from around the world, all who were brought in by the evil Sorcerer who became King (Sultan) of Zerzura. The aviary itself is a walkthrough that houses over 80 species of birds from North and South America, Asia, Australia, Europe, and Africa.

The exhibit is around 1 acre and features three different mock biomes, a "jungle" area with foliage and a big pool for waterfowl, a grassland/savannah with fewer trees and features more ground-dwelling birds, and a rocky area that features birds that nest on and around cliffs. However, the birds are free to travel through the different areas as they wish.

Guests can walk through the exhibit and admire the colorful birds and experience them up close and personal. While not all 80+ species will be listed, below is a selection of species that can be found in the exhibit.


  • African Pygmy Goose (Nettapus auritus)

  • Hamerkop (Scopus umbretta)

  • Blue-bellied Roller (Coracias cyanogaster)

  • Green Aracari (Pteroglossus viridis)

  • Superb Lyrebird (Menura novaehollandiae)

  • White-crested Hornbill (Tropicranus albocristatus)

  • Red-crested Turaco (Tauraco erythrolophus)

  • Bali Mynah (Leucopsar rothschildi)

  • Elegant Crested Tinamou (Eudromia elegans)

  • White-faced Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna viduata)

  • Blue-headed Macaw (Primolius couloni)

  • Cardinal Lory (Chalcopsitta cardinalis)

  • Western Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus)

  • Palawan Peacock Pheasant (Polyplectoron napoleonis)

Nile Crocodile

Located by the riverbed in the swamps of the oasis lies in wait one of Africa's most feared predators. This exhibit features a mob of Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus), a group of seven males of the river dwelling giants.

Because crocs are relatively easy to care for, the exhibit is mainly just a body of water with plenty of papyrus and reeds to make it look like a bank of the Nile River with some land and basking spots for the crocs to hang out.

Unlike the crocs at Animal Kingdom, however, guests can stop and get a good look at them, discovering how easily they blend into their environment and discover why they are so dangerous.

Because the animals only eat once a week, lucky guests may get to see a citizen of Zerzura come out with a bucket of meet and feed the crocs. The story behind this is that they feed them to appease them and keep them from eating the camels and other livestock as they drink from the water. In actuality, however, this is just a cool animal feeding experience for guests to watch randomly.