Busch Gardens: Cheetah Insider Tour

Tampa, Florida: For the second time since becoming passholders for Busch Gardens Tampa, we had the opportunity to take another insider tour. For this tour, we decided to take the Cheetah Insider Tour to get up close to some of our favorite animals in the park.

The tour begins at the Serengeti Outpost near the Nairobi Train Station. Here you will meet with your tour guide that will lead you to the Cheetah House. The Cheetah House is located behind the Cheetah exhibit in the old Clydesdale Hamlet. It is here we met with Cherish who would be the trainer that would give us insight into the Cheetah program at Busch Gardens

Busch Gardens is home to nine Cheetahs. Cheetahs are interesting animals. Unlike other big cats, Cheetahs do not roar, they meow and purr much like a house cat. They are also the only species of cats that do not retract their claws. And boy are these guys fast! Going zero to Cheetah, or zero to sixty, in just a few seconds.

We first met up with Tendai and Thabo in the outside yard. The brothers were born in November 2014 and came to Busch Gardens through a partnership with the White Oak Conservation Center in North Florida. Their names come from the Swahili culture with Tendai meaning thankful and Thabo meaning joy. The young brothers showed just how playful they can be for their trainers as they demonstrated their skills for the rewards to Toronto balls and chicken brother.

Inside the house we met three more Cheetahs. First was Kasi. Probably the most famous of the Cheetahs that live at Busch Gardens. Kasi came to Busch Gardens in 2011 from Jacksonville Zoo. The kitten was not gaining weight and was raised by hand. At Busch Gardens, they paired the kitten with a Labrador Retriever named Mtani to grow up together and create a bond since Cheetahs are social animals. Just like the cheetahs we met earlier, both Kasi and Mtani names have meaning. Kasi is Swahili for one with speed and Mtani is Swahili for close friend. These two remained close friends until Kasi got older and began to interact more with the other cheetahs. Mtani was then adopted by a keeper.

The last two Cheetahs we met were Kabisi and Keyara, a pair of female Cheetahs. We watched the trainers work with these two before our tour was finished.

The Cheetah Insider Tour was a great opportunity to get up close to these playful cats and see what it takes to take care of them. Both of the insider tours we have taken have been a great experience. I highly recommend them. It is a great opportunity to get close to amazing animals and help contribute to the cause.

Click on the photo above to see more photos from the Cheetah Insider Tour in my Busch Gardens Tampa photo gallery.

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