https://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/ct-trav-20-things-disney-animal-kingdom-0429-story.html
"The concept of presenting live animals to theme park guests originated with — of all people — Walt Disney himself. Walt's love of animals was sparked when, at the age of 4, he moved with his family from Chicago to Marceline, Mo., and he began to take care of farm animals."
"A half-century later, in the early '50s, Walt was busy designing attractions for his first theme park, Disneyland, in Anaheim, Calif. He wanted to make the Jungle Cruise authentic by populating it with real animals. His Imagineers warned him that the animals would be unpredictable and couldn't be guaranteed to be onstage and visible to guests on cue. Audio-Animatronic animals were used instead.
It was Walt's nephew, Roy E. Disney, who later supported the idea of an entire animal-themed park that would bustle with actual wildlife. Walt's concept blossomed into the lavish theme park Animal Kingdom has become — a park based more on reality than the fantasy found in other Walt Disney World parks, a park completely different from any animal park in the world."