Lightning Kills Giraffe At Disney's Animal Kingdom
POSTED: 12:01 p.m. EDT July 23, 2003
UPDATED: 12:35 p.m. EDT July 23, 2003
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- A lightning strike hit and killed a giraffe at an attraction inside Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park, according to Local 6 News.
A Disney spokesperson confirmed Wednesday that lightning hit the 12-foot giraffe known as Betsy at the Kilamanjaro Safari ride during Monday's storms in Central Florida.
At least three attraction trams or about 90 people may have witnessed the incident, Local 6 News reported.
It is believed that Betsy died instantly. She had been at the theme park since 1998.
Disney officials said that they have lightning rods placed around the park to protect the park's animals and if there is enough warning they take the animals inside barns for protection from storms.
Betsy's death leaves the attraction with 15 giraffes and there are 10 more animals at the Animal Kingdom lodge.
Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
A Disney spokesperson confirmed Wednesday that lightning hit the 12-foot giraffe known as Betsy at the Kilamanjaro Safari ride during Monday's storms in Central Florida.
At least three attraction trams or about 90 people may have witnessed the incident, Local 6 News reported.
It is believed that Betsy died instantly. She had been at the theme park since 1998.
Disney officials said that they have lightning rods placed around the park to protect the park's animals and if there is enough warning they take the animals inside barns for protection from storms.
Betsy's death leaves the attraction with 15 giraffes and there are 10 more animals at the Animal Kingdom lodge.
Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
Copyright 2003 by Local6.com.
All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten
or redistributed.
Three men have been arrested by Daytona Beach police after a 16-year-old died from stab wounds.
Jason Rodriguez is formally charged with first-degree murder and ordered to be held on no bond on charges he shot five people, killing one in a downtown office building on Friday.
| Arrest | Suspect
Images and hundreds of pages of documents related to the Casey Anthony case are released by the state attorney's office.
A final police report into the murder-suicide that left a Heathrow family of four dead details the couple's former swinging lifestyle and a gambling habit.
Local 6 News, led by investigative reporter Mike Holfeld, will host an interactive experience on Monday at 6:30 p.m. with viewers, including a phone bank and online chat with homeowners association experts.
Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009.
A South Carolina man caught on video having sex with a horse has been sentenced to three years in prison for abusing the animal.
Police release the name of the victim killed in a shooting at an Orlando high-rise and file first-degree murder charges against the suspected shooter. 
Eric Flack goes inside a controversial swingers club in suburban Cincinnati.
A massive fire at the Gatorland attraction in Orange County, Fla., engulfed the park's gift shop and apparently damaged other surrounding offices Monday, according to Local 6 News.
Take a quick look at the flicks headed to your multiplex. Check out the trailer, too.
Hundreds of photos in the Casey Anthony case are released.
Email Alerts
RSS News Feeds
Mobile
Live Streams
Slideshows
Video
Search
