Just minutes before taking the stage at Busch Gardens’ Bands, Brew & BBQ festival on Sunday, Feb. 19, former Poison frontman and reality TV star Bret Michaels met the most popular – and hairiest – of Busch Gardens’ Animal Ambassadors team, Harry the sloth.
Thanks to its thick, shaggy hair, the sloth has an unusual, symbiotic relationship with algae, which grows on its coat and aids in camouflaging the sloth as it hangs from tree branches.
The Busch Gardens’ zoo educators also brought a young southern ground hornbill named Tufts to meet Michaels and his band backstage.
Michaels’ 2010 album, Custom Built, rose to the top of Billboard’s Hard Rock list at #1 and his current “Get Your Rock On” tour is selling out venues across the country. He also took the reality television world by storm in the past few years on VH1’s “Rock of Love,” the 2010 docu-series “Bret Michaels: Life As I Know It” and as the winning contestant on the third season of Donald Trump’s NBC hit, “Celebrity Apprentice.”
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay combines world-class thrill rides, live entertainment and one of North America’s largest zoos in an unforgettable adventure for the whole family. This year, the park’s smokin’ hot Bands, Brew & BBQ festival fills every weekend, February 11 – March 4, with unlimited sampling of more than 80 specialty and craft beers, saucy barbeque from some of the bay area’s most popular restaurants and live concerts with the biggest names in classic rock, including 38 Special on Feb. 26 and REO Speedwagon on March 4.
For more than five decades, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay has set the industry’s standard for delivering unforgettable entertainment experiences, with Broadway-style stage spectaculars like KaTonga: Musical Tales From the Jungle and innovative ice shows like World Rhythms on Ice.Yesterday, we got the chance to preview the new Iceploration show that Busch hopes will build on that tradition and introduce audiences to the next generation of ice shows.
Starting today, February 2, a cast of 20 brings to life an all-new adventure filled with world-class skaters, more than 75 original costumes, amazing aerial performances, master puppetry and live animal stars.
“The grand scale of this show sets a new standard of entertainment that further solidifies Busch Gardens as one of Florida’s premier theme parks,” said Busch Gardens Park President Jim Dean. “Iceploration reintroduces the ice show to our most loyal fans while bringing together the things Busch Gardens stage productions do best: world-class entertainment with top-notch skaters, amazing costumes, original music, larger-than-life puppets and even animal stars.”
Iceploration, with shows daily in the Moroccan Palace, inspires audiences to “explore the world” on a 30-minute journey to the four corners of the earth. This multi-sensory story, told through theatrical skating and an all-new original score, is the collaboration of an award-winning creative team with Broadway credentials, including Tony Award-winning costume designer Gregg Barnes (The Drowsy Chaperone, Best Costume Design Tony winner 2007; Legally Blonde the Musical, Best Costume Design Tony nominee 2007).
The 30-minute show opens with Austin, a digitally savvy preteen, who believes that technology has made his generation more connected to the world than ever before. But his grandfather, an old-world explorer, argues that the boy is more disconnected than he realizes, and takes him on an adventure around the globe. Through their travels they visit the African Serengeti, Great Barrier Reef, the Arctic and the Amazon rainforest.
The adventure unfolds as they arrive in the African Serengeti. Here, larger-than-life puppets and spectacular set design bring elephants and other awe-inspiring animals to life at a watering hole. Solo and chorus skating performances accompanied by acrobatics tell an anecdote of an agile cheetah stalking graceful gazelles and meerkats.
Austin and Grandpa then dive into the Great Barrier Reef to explore the harmony of life on the ocean floor. An amazing black light transition and never-before-seen helium-filled puppets immerse the audience in the wonders of the sea, filled with parrotfish and lionfish, sea urchins, turtles and a moray eel.
In the Arctic, majestic skaters become striking snow flurries as a winter storm threatens the travelers. Austin and Grandpa witness even more beauty as they encounter the Aurora Borealis phenomenon, represented with theatrical lighting and projections. Then, they share the stage with amazing live animal stars, including a Siberian lynx and a sled of Siberian huskies as they continue to traverse the tundra.
Austin and Grandpa wrap up their adventure around the globe immersed in the lush, tropical Amazon Rainforest. Squirrel monkeys, sun conures and colorful macaws fill the air as playful frogs and a graceful dragonfly skate into the grand finale: a new signature song called “Meet the World.”
Iceploration performances are included with any daily park admission. More photos at www.Facebook.com/FloridaLeisure and here’s some video:
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay welcomed a new baby female reticulated giraffe on Monday, January 27, 2011. At 6 foot, 2 inches tall and weighing approximately 176 pounds, the newborn is the calf of father, Jafari and mother, Cupid. This is Jafari’s second calf, and cupid’s fifth.
This new addition brings the park’s reticulated giraffe population to 19. Exactly one month to the day before this most recent birth, another female in the herd, Tesa, gave birth to Jafari’s first calf, which was also female.
The new 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 reticulated 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.The term “reticulated” refers to the giraffe’s net-like pattern of spots.
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.
Visitors to Busch Gardens will soon be able to closely observe and take part in the animal care experience when the Tampa based park opens its new Animal Care Center on January 23rd.
The new 16,000 square foot facility will offer guests a behind-the-scenes glimpse into various animal care practices. These range from seeing how the animals nutrition is handled through to how their health is carefully monitored.
The Animal Care Center replaced the rhino exhibit in the Nairobi area of the park and will be the operation center that takes care of more than 2,000 animals in the park.
“We are proud of the care we provide our animals,” said Mike Boos, vice president of zoological operations. “We welcome the opportunity to share our level of care with our guests, and to continue our mission of connecting guests to animals and the natural world. No other zoological facility can offer the unique, up-close experience that this new facility will provide.”
Recently we paid a visit to Busch Gardens and we took a look around. The first thing you notice as you enter the building is the nutrition center and the kitchen that is similar in set up to a cooking show on television. It’s here that guests will learn and take part in preparing and feeding a wide range of food that the park provides to its animals. Nutrition demonstrations are scheduled to take part during each day and educators will demonstrate how they plan and prepare a wide variety of animal diets.
Leaving the nutrition center you head towards the treatment center and as you turn the corner, you are immediately impressed with the fantastic facilities that have been built. The treatment center is a state of the art facility that many human beings would be more than happy to enter to have a medical procedure carried out. I’m not so sure that humans would enjoy having guests watch what is happening to them through the large glass windows but in an effort to educate, guests are able to watch check ups, treatments and even surgeries up close.
The new facility also features a clinical lab and an interactive diagnostic activity and visitors will be able to speak to vets working behind the glass. Cameras placed over the exam table will show unique vantage points to those watching on monitors.
During treatments and surgeries, zoo educators will also be on hand to talk about what’s taking place. Since it is a working center, procedures will vary daily and will not take place during all scheduled park hours due to field work, office work and other projects requiring the vets’ time and attention.
Most days visitors will see a parade of animals getting 30 to 60 minute physicals or preventive treatments like a sloth getting his innards checked by ultrasound, a hedgehog in for dental work or a flamingo whose chapped feet are treated with a cold laser. But you could also happen upon an animal undergoing surgery like the kangaroo that just had a lung operation.
Inspired by similar glassed-in facility at Cleveland, St. Louis and in a rural Australian animal park, the new $5 million center quadruples the space where Busch vets treat and monitor the health of 2,000 animals across 300 species.
“We will alert the squeamish if there is going to be blood,” said Peter Black, senior vet. “But it’s going to be hard to get in if we are operating on a tiger (because of crowds). The surgery would take hours.”
Nigel Worrall & Jack Hanna
Jack Hanna, pictured with me above right, American zookeeper and one of the most notable animal experts in the world was also on hand and he remarked “You can’t have conservation without education. This facility is the new state of the art. In the next six months, hundreds of zoo vets will travel here to see it.”
All of this goes to reinforce the fact that Busch Gardens and its parent company, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, are world leaders in animal care. They care for more than 60,000 animals and they do it in a manner that helps educate the public and puts the interests of the animals first and foremost.
Busch 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 band None Other playing popular party hits all evening long in Gwazi Park, followed by fireworks at midnight for the ultimate New Year’s Eve Celebration on the 31st. For more information contact Florida Leisure’s concierge at www.FloridaLeisure.com or 1-855-274-1985
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.
Young Movie and Television Star Braves Busch Gardens’
All-New Vampire Casino Haunted House
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.
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.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Cheerleaders Karen Bittinger, Elisa Eichbauer, Darla Faye Nolan, Milly Figuereo, Kelli Jones, Meagan Praden, Lauren Rasys and Amber Rehman took a break from the sidelines to visit Howl-O-Scream 2011 at Busch Gardens over the weekend.
During their evening at the nationally ranked event, the cheerleaders toured the brand-new Zombie Mortuary, Nevermore and Ultimate Gamble: Vampire Casino haunted houses and met several of The Dark Side of the Gardens’ zombie hoards, including the event’s infamous cheerleader zombies.
General admission for Howl-O-Scream is $77.99 plus tax. Reduced advance-purchase rates and special offers are available for Busch Gardens Pass members at TheDarkSideOfTheGardens.com. Savings on general admission tickets are available in advance at participating Publix Supermarkets or with promotional codes found on select Pepsi Max and Mountain Dew products and at participating Taco Bell, Applebee’s and Lifestyle Family Fitness locations in Central Florida.
The event runs Thursday through Saturday nights, October 20-22 and 27-29. Operating hours are 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. during Freaky Preview and on Thursday nights. Friday and Saturday hours are 7:30 p.m. to 2 a.m.
For guest information, visit TheDarkSideofTheGardens.com or call 1-888-800-5447.
Over the last 24 hours a lot of people have asked me about “Splash! Animals” after seeing them on the video I posted on this blog about the opening of “Cheetah Run” and “Cheetah Hunt.”
Splash! Animals is a live art experience committed to the conservation of endangered animals. It is an award-winning conservation focused live art experience that combines art, music, choreography and features endangered species. Based in Southern California (San Diego), Splash! Animals performs all over the United States and internationally at fundraisers, theme parks, zoo, schools and many other venues and events.
Splash! Animals made its debut at the World Famous San Diego Zoo in June 2007 as the nighttime entertainment and regularly appears at Downtown Disney in Orlando and California on weekends. The focus of Splash! Animals is to connect the audience to endangered animals emotionally through an inspiring performance while educating them about the importance of conserving wildlife.
The show always starts with a blank “canvas,” painted black, and in less than 10 minutes, beautiful portraits of endangered animals are revealed by the performing artists. It’s pretty amazing and following on from the feedback from the performance we featured on our “Cheetah Run and Cheetah Hunt Opens at Busch Gardens Tampa” video, we’ve created another video that shows both of the paintings the Splash! Animals team produced at the Busch Gardens VIP party. Enjoy!
