Busch Gardens, Tampa Bay is working on a new Cheetah attraction, expected to open in the spring of 2011. This new attraction will feature an Animal encounter area called Cheetah Run, as well as a ‘cheetah-like’ coaster called Cheetah Hunt. Some people feel the name Cheetah Hunt is a contradiction to the conservation efforts of Busch Gardens. But, the actual concept of the coaster is not to hunt a Cheetah, but to feel like a Cheetah on the hunt – fast, sleek, graceful, and powerful.
The Cheetah is the fastest land animal and can reach speeds of 70-75 MPH. This amazing animal can also sprint from 0 to 64 MPH in three seconds! That is faster than most high-performance cars! Busch Gardens is trying to imitate the animal for this ride and will accelerate you, via electromagnets, to almost 40 miles per hour in just a few seconds! To mimic the Cheetah, the design of the coaster will have several launches, a watery encounter, trenches, an inversion, and a period of weightlessness. Some features already at the park will be used for this ride, including a monorail station that has been closed since 2000.
At the Cheetah Run encounter, you’ll be able to see the animals up-close and watch them running and sprinting. This will be a great opportunity to see such a remarkable animal. I can’t wait to check out the coaster! Keep checking our website for updates on when this new attraction will open.
