{"id":350279,"date":"2026-07-23T19:57:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T19:57:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/350279\/"},"modified":"2026-07-23T19:57:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T19:57:08","slug":"busch-gardens-tampa-bay-debuts-world-class-lion-hyena-habitat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/350279\/","title":{"rendered":"Busch Gardens Tampa Bay debuts world-class lion, hyena habitat"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Text-nO2aZ44r__TextBase-sc-s2hv5x-0 jJNfBD fSvavs article-text\">TAMPA, Fla.  \u2013 A reimagined <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clickorlando.com\/topic\/Busch_Gardens_Tampa_Bay\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.clickorlando.com\/topic\/Busch_Gardens_Tampa_Bay\/\">Busch Gardens Tampa Bay<\/a> habitat is dropping guests into the heart of the African savanna.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Text-nO2aZ44r__TextBase-sc-s2hv5x-0 jJNfBD fSvavs article-text\">Lion &amp; Hyena Ridge debuts Saturday as the latest milestone in the park\u2019s $200 million, five-year investment in new attractions and guest experiences.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Text-nO2aZ44r__TextBase-sc-s2hv5x-0 jJNfBD fSvavs article-text\">The habitat spans nearly 35,000 square feet and will be home to America\u2019s largest coalition of lions in an Association of Zoos &amp; Aquariums (AZA)-accredited facility. Guests will come face-to-face with five young male lion brothers \u2014 Pascal, Lou, Henri, Hugo and Herman, all born in 2024 \u2014 along with hyenas Cazi and Dazi.<\/p>\n<p>Lions at Lion &amp; Hyena Ridge in Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. (United Parks &amp; Entertainment)Hyena at Lion and Hyena Ridge (United Parks &amp; Entertainments)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Text-nO2aZ44r__TextBase-sc-s2hv5x-0 jJNfBD fSvavs article-text\">\u201cThis immersive experience brings guests closer than ever to these incredible animals while showcasing our continued commitment to exceptional animal care and creating unforgettable experiences for our guests,\u201d said Jon Vigue, Park President of Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, in a news release. <\/p>\n<p class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Text-nO2aZ44r__TextBase-sc-s2hv5x-0 jJNfBD fSvavs article-text\">The habitat features 270-degree glass viewing areas, rocky kopje formations and cascading water elements designed to mimic the African landscape. Multiple enrichment zones support the animals\u2019 physical, social and mental well-being.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Text-nO2aZ44r__TextBase-sc-s2hv5x-0 jJNfBD fSvavs article-text\">Pass Holders will get early access on July 24. Annual Passes start at $13 per month during the Summer Sale.<\/p>\n<p>In the Loop: Theme Park Scoops<\/p>\n<p class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Text-nO2aZ44r__TextBase-sc-s2hv5x-0 bTVksG\">Sign up for the ClickOrlando.com In the Loop: Theme Park Scoops newsletter, sent every Friday. <\/p>\n<p>Copyright 2026 by WKMG ClickOrlando &#8211; All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TAMPA, Fla. \u2013 A reimagined Busch Gardens Tampa Bay habitat is dropping guests into the heart of the&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":350280,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[19616,276,135,137,136,2411],"class_list":["post-350279","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-busch-gardens-tampa-bay","tag-hillsborough-county","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news","tag-theme-parks"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350279","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=350279"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350279\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/350280"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=350279"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=350279"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=350279"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}