LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla., Dec. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Endangered species on five continents are benefiting from $1.3 in awards recently distributed by the Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund (DWCF). Projects studying sea turtles, elephants, butterflies, dolphins and gorillas are among the 80 recipients for 2005.

"These awards represent a tremendous commitment to conservation shown by our guests and cast members throughout the year," said Beth Stevens, vice president of Disney's Animal Programs. "They have experienced the wonder of wildlife and have been moved to contribute to the future of wild places, which is paramount to the success of long-term conservation efforts. We have personally visited several projects and continue to be impressed with not just the dedication, but the scope of what these groups are doing to benefit wildlife and people," she said.

Disney guests contribute to the DWCF through a variety of locations, including Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park, The Living Seas at Epcot and Disney Cruise Line. The office of worldwide outreach for The Walt Disney Company supplements the DWCF to make even more projects possible, and Walt Disney World pays all the overhead for the DWCF program.

More than $8.5 million has been distributed to 450 projects since the DWCF began the annual awards in 1995, among them, Operation Migration which has been supported for six years. Operation Migration is a program that seeks to reintroduce migratory populations of endangered Whooping cranes into eastern North America. Each year, chicks are hatched and trained for the migratory route from Wisconsin to Florida. In another program, sea turtle biologists at the University of Florida Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research are working toward a conservation strategy for sea turtles in the Bahamas. "We have been working with Disney on many levels -- to study the movements of sea turtles in the Caribbean and also to monitor nests with Disney scientists at the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge. What we have accomplished together has contributed significantly to our understanding of these animals," says Center Director Karen Bjorndal.

Several organizations have been supported through DWCF, including noted elephant researcher Cynthia Moss. According to Moss, the support from the DWCF has been "a critical part of our efforts." Moss, founder of the Elephant Conservation Trust, studies elephant families in Amboseli National Park, Kenya. She says the funds enable her to work with the local Maasai community to ensure they recognize the value of sharing their land with the elephants.

For a complete listing of projects visit http://www.disneywildlifefund.com. Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park is accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA). With its more than 200 accredited members, AZA is a leader in global wildlife conservation, and your link to helping animals in their native habitats. For more information, visit http://www.aza.org .

CONTACT: Bonnie McGuire, Walt Disney World Public Afrairs, +1-407-934-6253

Web site: http://www.disneywildlifefund.com/ http://www.aza.org/