Busch Gardens Tampa Opens New Animal Care Center

Busch Gardens Tampa is already well known for their loving dedication to the substantial animal population found on the park's grounds, but with the opening of their new Animal Care Center, that dedication is deeper than ever.

The state-of-the-art center first and foremost serves the animals that call Busch Gardens home, but also serves as a new park attraction for guests.  Visitors to the facility are treated to both unparalleled access to the medical care taking place each day and an educational experience that is one of a kind.

Busch Gardens Senior Veterinarian Dr. Pete Black consults with Dr. Cathy Lynch-Buckhorn, Associate Vice President for Women’s Health and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at University of South Florida’s Morsani College of Medicine, while performing an ultrasound on a white-cheeked gibbon at the Animal Care Center.

According to the park's release, "the major guest components of the new facility include a nutrition center, treatment rooms, a clinical lab and an interactive diagnostic activity.  The treatment center will allow guests to watch as Busch Gardens’ skilled vets do preventative checkups, treatments and surgeries on animals. Guests will be able to see into the rooms through glass walls, and audio capabilities will allow guests to talk to vets working behind the glass."

The new Animal Care Center also has recovery and holding rooms for patients, along with vet offices.  The nearly 16,000 square foot facility replaced the rhino exhibit in the Nairobi section of Busch Gardens Tampa.