Ever since Walt Disney World opened its fourth gate, Disney's Animal Kingdom, in 1998, one of the most beloved attractions is the Kilimanjaro Safaris.
Indeed, if there's anything more magical than riding a flying pirate ship to Neverland, or joining the Guardians of the Galaxy on a Cosmic Rewind, it's roaming through an impressive African plain and seeing real zebras, elephants, lions and many other animals roaming freely.
Of course, majestic as these animals are, most of them pose very real threats.
Perhaps none more so than the crocodiles that live in the attraction's crocodile pit.
In the unlikely chance someone might fall into the crocodile pit, one can only assume Disney has a protocol.
Indeed they do, but it's not what you might expect.
TikToker William Rath, an attorney who previously worked as a cast member at Disney's Animal Kingdom and uses the TikTok handle @william.rath, shared Disney's protocol for this situation, which is not exactly the sort of thing one would expect from the most magical place on earth:
In a video that has gone on to receive over 13 million views, Rath could be seen sitting his his car with an image overlay of someone asking the question:
"Is it true that the safari drivers are trained to immediately drive off if someone falls into the crocodile pit?"
Rath, a former driver for the Kilimanjaro Safaris, answered the question fairly simply with a rather astounding answer: yes!
Rath shared that the crocodile pit does not feature any fences or protective barriers around it, and drivers are trained to be on the bridge over the crocodile pit "as little as possible."
Delays due to animal crossings are common, and drivers are told that if they see an animal on that bridge, they should stop before getting on the bridge, rather than waiting on it, to avoid any sort of "worst case scenario."
Towards the end of the one-minute video, Rath made clear the rather morbid reason drivers are trained to drive off, rather than attempt any sort of rescue should anyone fall into the crocodile pit:
"If there's like a baby or something, or a person that falls into the crocodile pit, they're not making it."
"And so, we're told to drive off to limit the amount of victims."
"So if, like, a baby falls off, and then there's a parent that's like 'oh, I want to jump in and save them'... they're not saving that baby."
"So if they jump in, they're not getting saved either, that's just how it is with crocodiles."
"So yes, we are instructed to drive off."Most viewers were shocked by this revelation, with many wondering why Disney would even have such a dangerous attraction, though a few pointed out the likelihood of this ever being an issue is slim:
@william.rath/TikTok
@william.rath/TikTok
@william.rath/TikTok
@william.rath/TikTok
@william.rath/TikTok
@william.rath/TikTok
@william.rath/TikTok
@william.rath/TikTok
@william.rath/TikTok
@william.rath/TikTok
In a follow-up video, largely responding to those wondering why a crocodile pit was even necessary, Rath offered an explanation, while also sharing that the safari jeeps weren't the only way to see the crocodiles:
Rath revealed that there was also a rickety wooden bridge that allowed guests to walk over the crocodile pit, with a harness attachment, showing a video of himself doing so, along with some very large, and likely very hungry, crocodiles below him.
He then went on to answer why the crocodile pit is there.
"You're pretending to go through this, like, river which has all the aquatic and marine animals in Africa, and that's the hippos, and then they have the crocodiles."
"And to move over to the next part or the next land in the safari you have to cross over this bridge to get to the other side."
"Makes you feel like you're in a big adventure."
"I think it's just to make it a very immersive experience."
Despite all this, Rath himself admitted that he "doesn't know why there is a crocodile pit," while also disclosing that in the estimated thousand times he drove over that bridge, he always made a point not to look down.
Most viewers were quick to express that they had no desire to be as brave as Rath was crossing that bridge:
@william.rath/TikTok
@william.rath/TikTok
@william.rath/TikTok
@william.rath/TikTok
@william.rath/TikTok
Perhaps the most important piece of information that Rath shared in the follow-up video, however, is that he was never in a position where this happened, nor has this ever happened.
At least not at the Animal Kingdom, and not with crocodiles.
In 2016, a 2-year-old boy was dragged by an alligator into the Seven Seas Lagoon, an artificial lake on the property of Disney's Grand Floridian resort.
With this in mind, maybe the animatronic gators and crocs in Peter Pan's Flight and Tiana's Bayou Adventure will be enough for the millions of viewers of Rath's videos, and any and all future visitors to Walt Disney World.
