We went on the ride a couple days ago. I get what they were trying for with the poacher storyline and I didn't mind it, but I prefer it without it. And I disagree that it needs a story. Yes, Disney is about theming, but that's the theme here - these are live animals. It's not a zoo so there's no guarantee you'll see any particular animal. Even with the rest of the park, they generally have enclosures, not cages, which isn't as good for the paying guests but much better for the animals, which I prefer.
There is one section where the driver finds a local radio station and the music plays for a bit but that's really the only radio interaction.
The savannah story is that it's land they recently got back from farmers who had pushed the animals out. No animals were there yet, but they said maybe in a few more weeks.
We had pretty good luck with seeing quite a few giraffes and rhinos and elephants. The lions were scarce - we only saw the head of one lionness. I did see 2 cheetahs, so I was happy about that.
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