Busch Gardens Tampa Bay’s new “Lion & Hyena Ridge” habitat opens to the public on Saturday, July 25, marking the latest expansion of the park’s Edge of Africa section.
The 35,000-square-foot habitat, more than double the size of the space it replaces, is home to five African lions named Pascal, Lou, Huge, Henri and Hurman, along with two spotted hyenas named Dazi and Cazi. According to Busch Gardens, the five lion brothers form the largest lion coalition at any AZA-accredited facility in the United States.
Visitors will be able to view the animals through 270-degree glass viewing windows, walk through interactive cave spaces, and cross overhead bridges designed to create an immersive safari-style setting.
Andrew Schaffer, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay’s vice president of design and engineering, said the goal was to create an interactive experience both for guests and for the animals themselves.
While lions and hyenas are natural rivals in the wild, the two species will not share the habitat at the same time. The exhibit is designed to allow the animals to rotate among different areas, providing enrichment while still giving guests the chance to see both species.
Jon Vigue, another Busch Gardens official, said the opening of Lion & Hyena Ridge is part of the park’s $200 million enhancement plan and is intended to give visitors a new reason to come to the park this summer.
Follow the St. Pete-Clearwater Sun on Facebook, Google, & X
St. Pete-Clearwater Sun: local St. Pete-Clearwater & Tampa Bay, FL news at PIE-Sun.com
Leave a Reply