See SeaWorld – from your computer

Usually, the fur is flying in our “Secret Life” studio. But a few weeks ago, feathers were flying as one huge bird made its perch in front of our cameras.
Learn more about the roseate spoonbill from our friends at SeaWorld and Busch Gardens.

Best friends at Busch Gardens

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay’s 65-acre Serengeti Plain is home to herds of giraffe, zebra, rhino, African antelope and many species of birds. Just as they do on Africa’s plains, the animals usually hang out with their own species. But recently, zoo keepers at Busch Gardens noticed an unlikely pair. Bea, a three-year-old giraffe, and Wilma, an ostrich, just can’t seem to get enough of one another. Best friends? Let the pictures speak for themselves.

Lemur makes the tackle

As the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers prepare to square off in Tampa Bay for Super Bowl XLIII, Busch Gardens, Tampa’s top spot for family fun and adventure, counts down to game day in some “wild” ways.

A red-ruffed lemur tackles a football slathered in fruit juices on a lawn near Gwazi, a wooden coaster featuring dueling tracks. The lemur is one of the park’s Animal Ambassadors, animals that greet guests in the park, at educational programs and through other outreach opportunities, with the purpose of sharing a message of conservation.

The football is used as a form of animal enrichment, which can take many forms, including toys, food or objects to explore. Enrichment is usually something different, unusual and challenging that stimulates the animals’ interest. Activities such as this are some of the many ways the park’s zoological team keeps the animals engaged and active.

Photo credit: Matt Marriott/Busch Gardens

Busch Gardens’ tigers excited about Super Bowl

Bengal tigers at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay wildly anticipate Super Bowl XLIII coming to their city Feb. 1. The endangered tigers investigate an ice sculpture in their habitat at Jungala, Busch Gardens’ newest attraction, where you can get clear views of the tigers in subterranean caves and underwater windows, and a pop-up dome brings you face-to-face with the predators.

Photo credit: Matt Marriot/Busch Gardens