Affection Section in Animal Kingdom to be Renamed and Feature Animals from Australia

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Replacing Affection Section Petting Zoo with Kangaroo Habitat

It looks like guests visiting Rafiki’s Planet Watch at Disney’s Animal Kingdom will soon be trading goat cuddles for kangaroo watching. Disney has revealed new details about Jumping Junction, the Bluey-themed Australian animal experience replacing Affection Section, and one thing is becoming very clear: this is no longer a petting zoo.

Related: Complete Guide to Bluey’s Wild World at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

When Conservation Station reopens as part of Bluey’s Wild World on May 26, guests will be able to “see kangaroos and wallabies in a new shared habitat,” according to Disney. Noticeably absent from the announcement was any mention of touching, feeding, or interacting with the animals up close.

That marks a major shift from Affection Section, which previously allowed guests to pet and interact with domesticated animals like goats and sheep at Rafiki’s Planet Watch.

Disney also shared a few fun facts about the new residents hopping into the area:

• Both kangaroos and wallabies are marsupials, carrying their babies, called joeys, in pouches
• Kangaroos are much larger than wallabies
• Groups of both animals are called a “mob”

While wallabies are generally calmer animals, kangaroos can be unpredictable and potentially dangerous, making a traditional petting zoo setup unlikely. Reports had already surfaced that the former Affection Section animals had been rehomed, and this latest announcement essentially confirms the original petting zoo concept is gone for good.

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The new Jumping Junction experience is part of Bluey’s Wild World, a larger Bluey-themed offering taking over parts of Rafiki’s Planet Watch beginning May 26 at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

For longtime Animal Kingdom fans, it is definitely the end of an era. The petting zoo was one of the few places at Walt Disney World where guests could have hands-on animal encounters, but now the area is getting an Australian outback makeover complete with kangaroos, wallabies, and plenty of Bluey energy.

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