Behind the Scenes with Dr . Mark Penning
Vice President of Animals , Science , and Environment for Disney Parks
INTERVIEW BY RAIN BLANKEN
Often smiling and always eager to share information , Dr . Mark Penning is
well-known among superfans of the resident animals at Disney ’ s Animal Kingdom . Dr . Mark ( which he prefers over “ Dr . Penning ”) got his start in South Africa and specialized in working with birds and reptiles as well as performing surgery on lions and elephants there . His work at Disney as the Vice President of Animals , Science , and Environment includes supervising the care of animals and environments at Disney Parks locations all over the world .
I had the chance to ask Dr . Mark a few questions about what it ’ s like behind the scenes at Animal Kingdom .
Rain : How did your previous work in South Africa prepare you for working with the multitude of species at Disney ’ s Animal Kingdom ?
Dr . Mark : South Africa is a beautiful country . There is nothing quite like being alone out in the wilderness and knowing there is such an incredible array of wildlife around you — you just don ’ t know what you might encounter next . It makes one feel so alive ! I was accustomed to working with minimal support and working out solutions on the fly .
At Disney , our incredible animal care team really does offer the best care to our animals , with a talented professional cast and an exceptional support team , with the best medical equipment . When we are confronted with a challenging task , people from all over the amazing Walt Disney Company come out to assist — engineers , scientists , technicians , Imagineers , and more . We are very lucky here .
PREVIOUS PAGE : Dr . Mark is the Vice President of Animals , Science , and Environment for Disney Parks . PHOTO COURTESY OF DISNEY