Baby Cheetah and Puppy Pal Celebrate First Anniversary Together
This week, Busch Gardens Tampa is celebrating a milestone anniversary for a very special relationship. Monday, April 16 marked the one-year anniversary of the first time park guests got to see an 8-week-old male cheetah cub and a 16-week-old female yellow Labrador puppy start to strike up a friendship that the park’s animal experts expect to last a lifetime.
The pair – later named Kasi and Mtani by park fans via a Facebook poll – spent only supervised play times together at first. Now, a year later, they live together full time at the park’s Cheetah Run habitat and even travel together to schools, events and television studios, helping the park’s education team teach the public about the plight of cheetahs in the wild and the importance of Busch Gardens’ conservation efforts.
Park guest can see Kasi and Mtani daily at Cheetah Run, where they spend a portion of each day playing together on the habitat, training with their keepers and exercising with the habitat’s lure system, designed to encourage the animals to do what cheetahs (and Mtani, too!) do best: run and chase.
Although this is Busch Gardens’ first cub-and-puppy combo, it is not uncommon in the zoological community for a single cheetah to be raised with a canine companion. “Male cheetahs are social and often live together in coalitions,” said Tim Smith, a zoo manager who works with the cheetah team daily. “This social bond will be a very similar relationship, and they will be together for life.”… Continue reading
Tropicana Field welcomes a high speed visitor!
On Friday, March 9, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment (SEA)will broadcast the most recent installment of its Saving a Species series, which features some of Busch Gardens Tampa’s most popular new residents – the cheetahs – and St. Petersburg’s Tropicana Field.
With the stadium closed to outside visitors and the turf marked for the St. Petersburg Bowl football game, the cheetahs were encouraged to run the length of the field, chasing a lure system identical to the one in their Cheetah Run habitat. The cats’ efforts were captured by high-definition and slow-motion cameras.
“ Even though we have this awesome habitat at Busch Gardens, a 100-yard football field will give us the opportunity to showcase what that speed looks like on a field that people can relate to ,” said Tim Smith, a Busch Gardens assistant curator who works with the cheetahs daily.
Saving A Species: Cheetah
From its breathtaking speed to its beauty and vulnerability, the cheetah’s story will bring you face to face with their fragile existence. We’ll introduce you to people around the globe who are working on behalf of this imperiled predator and explain how you can help keep cheetahs from disappearing forever.
The 25-minute program is available to teachers and broadcasters free of charge. It will be broadcast without commercials from 10:45 to 11:30 a.m. (first 15-minutes are color bars) on Friday, March 9. Satellite coordinates, copyright information and web-quality preview segments are available at ShamuTV.com. In the coming months, the site will also… Continue reading
HOLIDAY BABY WILL BE NEWEST ADDITION TO BUSCH GARDENS’ SERENGETI PLAIN
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay welcomed a new baby female reticulated giraffe on Tuesday, December 27, 2011. At 5 foot, 7 inches tall and weighing approximately 127 pounds, the newborn is the calf of father, Jafari and mother, Tesa, who has previously given birth to four other calves at Busch Gardens.
This new addition brings the park’s reticulated giraffe population to 18. The term “reticulated” refers to the giraffe’s net-like pattern of spots.
Mother and baby are currently in an area out of guest view so they can be closely monitored by zoo staff to ensure the baby is nursing and growing properly. The duo will join the other animals on the Serengeti Plain in about three months.
A giraffe’s gestation period is approximately 15 months, and the new baby will nurse for about one year. This birth is part of a successful long-term breeding program at Busch Gardens.
Busch Gardens’ 65-acre Serengeti Plain is a naturalistic habitat featuring a diverse population of free-roaming African animals including giraffe, zebra, white rhinoceros, eland antelope and several other species of hoof stock and birds.
You can view these amazing animals from the Serengeti Express, the Skyride or on a Serengeti Safari, an open-truck tour during which you can hand-feed reticulated giraffes and get up-close with the other animals on the plain.
Cheetah Visits Local Schools for Great American Teach In
Busch Gardens’ cheetah cub Kasi and his puppy pal Mtani helped their keepers connect with kids about cheetah conservation and wildlife preservation during a series of classroom visits on Thursday, Nov. 17, during The Great American Teach-In. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay’s famous cheetah/puppy duo teach-In tour included stops at Heritage Elementary in New Tampa, Wilson Middle School in South Tampa, Quail Hollow Elementary in Wesley Chapel (pictured) and Schwarzkopf Elementary in Lutz.
CLASSIC TRADITIONS MAKE THE SEASON BRIGHT AT BUSCH GARDENS
usch Gardens Tampa Bay celebrates the spirit of the season with the return of several holiday classics, then rings in the New Year with special entertainment and spectacular fireworks.
From Nov. 19 to Jan. 1, there’s a festive chill in the air when Busch Gardens presents Christmas on Ice, a limited-engagement ice-skating show bringing a graceful winter wonderland to life. NEW for 2011, this guest favorite is moving to the park’s Moroccan Palace, which will soon be the home of the all-new Iceploration, opening 2-2-12.
The Marrakesh Theater decks the halls with Christmas from the Heart, featuring inspiring holiday gospel and spiritual songs performed by a live choir. In Desert Grill, join a Christmas Celebration, the musical extravaganza featuring seasonal songs, tap-dancing toy soldiers and fun for the whole family!
Join Santa and his merry elves for breakfast at Desert Grill from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Saturdays, Dec. 3 and 10. Enjoy exciting and unforgettable photo opportunities with Santa and his holiday elves, followed by a fabulous performance of our traditional family favorite Christmas Celebration. Prices are $18 for adults and $12 for children. Each adult ticket purchase includes a FREE commemorative family photo.
The rest of the park is transformed into a holiday wonderland featuring a cappella carols by the Men of Note, spectacular poinsettias, festive decorations and classic music.
Then, count down to 2012 with the biggest bash this side of midnight. Busch Gardens gives the new year a wild welcome with the… Continue reading
OPERATION ONE VOICE RELAY RUN FINISHES AT BUSCH GARDENS
For the seventh consecutive year, a team of 25 military personnel, police, firefighters and community leaders will complete a four-day, 550-mile benefit relay run from Duluth, Ga. to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay on Friday, Nov. 11, to raise awareness for and remember the families of fallen and wounded Special Operations Forces soldiers. Runners will cross the finish line around in Cheetah Hunt Plaza around 11 a.m. Friday, and this year’s run will honor Staff Sgt. Robert James Miller and his family.
The Special Operations Forces Run is led by Lieutenant Bill Stevens of the Duluth Police Department and founder of the Georgia-based charity, Operation One Voice. The non-profit organization, managed by public safety professionals and community leaders, supports children and families of fallen and wounded Special Operations Forces soldiers.
Operation One Voice honors the contributions of Special Operations Forces soldiers, which include Army Rangers, Green Berets, Spec Op
Baby Boom Continues at Busch Gardens
A new Grevy’s zebra was born on Busch Gardens’ 65-acre Serengeti Plain on Friday, November 4. Within an hour after its birth, the female foal was running with the rest of the herd and nursing from its mother.
Just last week, Busch Gardens announced two other additions, a male Cape buffalo, and female Sable antelope.
The buffalo was born to mother Semara on Sept. 21. At the time of his birth, the calf weighed approximately 45 lbs. The playful and explorative youngster now weights 75 lbs. Once full grown, Cape buffalos can weigh up to 2,000 lbs. The Sable Antelope female took her first steps within a few minutes of birth. Though Sable Antelopes are shaky at first, newborns can run fast enough to keep up with the herd within 3-5 days.
Busch Gardens’ guests can view all of the new babies from Rhino Rally, the Skyride or Serengeti Express train ride. For an even closer look, the Serengeti Safari offers guests an open-bed truck tour Serengeti Plain, with opportunities to get up-close to antelope and rhinos and hand-feed giraffes.
Two New Babies On the Serengeti Plain
Busch Gardens’ newest addition, a female Cape buffalo, was born to mother Semara on Sept. 21. Cape buffalos are extremely social; members of the same group will stay in direct contact with each other and will often sleep with their heads resting on one another.
At the time of his birth, the calf weighed approximately 45 lbs. The playful and explorative youngster now weights 75 lbs. Once full grown, Cape buffalos can weigh up to 2,000 lbs.
Two days earlier, the park’s Sable Antelope herd welcomed the third new baby of the month, a female who took her first steps within a few minutes of birth. Though Sable Antelopes are shaky at first, newborns can run fast enough to keep up with the herd within 3-5 days.
Busch Gardens’ guests can view all of the new babies from Rhino Rally, the Skyride or Serengeti Express train ride. For an even closer look, the Serengeti Safari offers guests and open-bed truck tour of the 65-acre Serengeti Plain, with opportunities to get up-close to antelope and rhinos and hand-feed giraffes.
For details, visit www.buschgardens.com
Photos and Video by Matt Marriott/Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
VAMPIRE DIARIES ACTOR MICHAEL ROARK AT HOWL-O-SCREAM
Actor Michael Roark, who was featured in the recurring role of Frank on TV’s The Vampire Diaries, faces a sin-city clan of bloodsuckers in the new Ultimate Gamble: Vampire Casino haunted house at Howl-O-Scream.
The actor, who also a graduated law school at the University of Florida, visited Busch Gardens’ Howl-O-Scream on Thursday night with friends.
He is also known for his recent role as Donovan Peck in Dolphin Tale and his upcoming role as Ryan in Magic Mike that was partially filmed in Tampa.
Infamous Cheetah/Puppy Duo Explore Their First Halloween Pumpkins
Actually, cheetahs are strict carnivores, but the residents of Busch Gardens’ Cheetah Run were curious to explore the new smells and textures that three oversized pumpkins provided.
Busch Gardens’ zookeepers introduced the pumpkins to the cheetah habitat on Tuesday for some special Halloween-themed enrichment for Kasi and Mtani, and Cheetah Run’s adolescent female cheetahs.
Enrichment can take many forms and is usually something different, unusual and challenging that stimulates the animals. Food and toys are used daily by zookeepers at Busch Gardens to keep the animals engaged and stimulated, both mentally and physically.
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