Jumping Junction Not Fully Open Yet at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Jumping Junction, the new Australian animal exhibit at Conservation Station in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, did not debut as planned this morning. The area is ready for guests, but the kangaroos aren’t. We spoke with an animal care Cast Member last week who warned us that this might happen.

The issue is with the kangaroos acclimating to their new home. These aren’t the same animals that live in the shadow of the Tree of Life on the Discovery Island Trails. These marsupials are new to the park, so understandably, there are some growing pains.

Getting used to their new home isn’t the only issue. Animal Kingdom’s caregivers were surprised to find more joeys than expected in one of the mama kangaroo’s pouches. That might seem like a small detail to us, but for the park’s animal care team, it changes quite a bit. Young joeys are sensitive to stress and environmental changes, so introducing them to a brand-new habitat requires extra caution.

Conservation Station visitors can still see the kangaroos and wallabies, but only from outside the exhibit. Guests will eventually be able to walk through the habitat for a closer look at the animals. Cast Members only began doing that themselves yesterday, so this delay could last longer than just a day or two.

Jumping Junction’s delay might actually be a silver lining for Animal Kingdom’s operations team. In addition to the animal exhibit, Conservation Station also welcomed Bluey’s Wild World this morning. Bluey’s massive popularity resulted in the Virtual Queues disappearing instantly at both the 7 AM and 10 AM drops. Those Virtual Queues are required to visit any part of Conservation Station, not just the character experience.

With Jumping Junction delayed, demand to board the Wildlife Express Train could be reduced. But probably not. Because, you know, Bluey.