Affection Section — Former Show · History & Timeline

Former Show · the memorial record

⚰ Permanently closed · Feb 2026operated 28 years · 1998–2026

Replaced by Jumping Junction →

This show is gone, but its history stays documented — the full lifetime log is below.

Show history

the lifetime record

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2026

◆ Latest milestone

ChangedJun 10, 2026#

Successor Jumping Junction opened to guests on the same site in a limited keeper-guided test, a five-to-ten-minute walkthrough past red kangaroos, western grey kangaroos and red-necked wallabies with no petting or touching permitted.

Access was capped at fewer than 100 guests per hour; as of a follow-up in June 2026, Disney had not announced when the unguided walkthrough would open to all guests.

Tracked byTheme Park Patch Notes
ChangedMay 2026#

The petting yard was rebuilt as Jumping Junction, an Australian marsupial habitat where guests are not permitted to pet the animals, and the surrounding area's Rafiki's Planet Watch name was dropped in favor of Conservation Station.

Tracked byTheme Park Patch Notes
RefurbishmentFeb 2026#

Affection Section closed in February 2026 for the Bluey overlay of Conservation Station, never reopened as a petting zoo, and its resident farm animals were relocated to other facilities.

Disney announced a closing date of February 23, 2026 for Conservation Station, the Affection Section and the Wildlife Express Train, and billed all three as temporary closures; no source confirms the final day of operation, so precision is held at month level. Permanence is established by the successor rather than by the closure announcement, since the petting zoo name and format were both retired.

Tracked byTheme Park Patch Notes
2025

UpdateDec 2, 2025#

Disney announced that a Bluey experience would come to Conservation Station in summer 2026, including an outdoor area with animals native to Bluey's home country of Australia.

Tracked byTheme Park Patch Notes
2000

Changed2000#

The surrounding area was renamed from Conservation Station to Rafiki's Planet Watch in late 2000, while the petting zoo continued to operate under the Affection Section name.

Tracked byTheme Park Patch Notes
1998

New1998#

Affection Section opened with Disney's Animal Kingdom as an outdoor petting zoo of domesticated animals in the Conservation Station area.

Wikipedia places the Affection Section within a section that opened with the park in 1998 but gives no day-level opening date for the petting yard itself, so the date is left year-only.

Tracked byTheme Park Patch Notes

Questions & answers

When did Affection Section open?

Per the documented record, Affection Section at Animal Kingdom opened in 1998.

When did Affection Section last close for refurbishment?

The most recent closure/refurbishment documented for Affection Section is dated Feb 2026: Affection Section closed in February 2026 for the Bluey overlay of Conservation Station, never reopened as a petting zoo, and its resident farm animals were relocated to other facilities.

What changed recently on Affection Section?

The latest documented change (documented Jun 10, 2026): Successor Jumping Junction opened to guests on the same site in a limited keeper-guided test, a five-to-ten-minute walkthrough past red kangaroos, western grey kangaroos and red-necked wallabies with no petting or touching permitted.

How many changes are on record for Affection Section?

6 documented changes, dating back to 1998 — the fan-kept show changelog nobody else keeps.

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