A Brief History

Welcome to the official website of the Anaheim Animatronic Hippo Conservation Society (AAHCS).  We are a non-profit organization dedicated to the safety and protection of endangered animatronic hippos.  Our main focus is the hippo population in Anaheim, CA, the city with the highest reports of hippo abuse west of the Mississippi.

On July 17th, 1955, a popular attraction called the Jungle Cruise opened to great acclaim.  People flocked from all over the world to see wild animals in a jungle safari-like experience. This ride took passengers through the habitats of wild lions, native jungle-dwelling tribes, rhinoceroses, tigers, cobras, and of course, hippopotamuses.

In the 50+ years the attraction has been in operation the public has been witness to a seemingly "humorous" element within the ride.  Upon entering the hippo pool the Jungle Cruise Skipper manipulates his passengers into a state of fear to justify shooting the innocent hippos with their Smith and Wesson .38 specials. 

Disney's corporate spokesman has repeatedly "claimed" that the guns are only used to "scare away" the hippos and are only loaded with blanks (try telling that to the mountains of dead animatronic hippos).

After decades of violence we decided it was time to take action.  In the year 2000 the AAHCS was founded by Caitlin Wahlstrom and Jeremy Kohrs.  Our goal at the very beginning was to have the guns removed from the ride permanently.  We were successful in our mission in 2002 when Disney removed the guns from the Jungle Cruise attractions in all their parks.  However, the success of our campaign was short lived when in the Fall of 2004, the guns were incorporated back into the ride.

In the past seven years our attempts at freeing these beautiful robots have been persistent yet unfortunately unsuccessful.  Our attempts to raise awareness have been met with ridicule and disregarded as a prank. Despite these setbacks, our fervor has not wavered.  However, we ask now, after seven years of working alone, for you to join us once more in our endeavor.

Failure is not an option.  Disney NEEDS to be stopped and these hippos NEED to be saved.  With your help, our organization will work diligently to save these majestic robotic creatures.

Thank you for your support!

Caitlin Wahlstrom
Co-Founder

Jeremy Kohrs
Co-Founder