May is a very exciting month here at Busch Gardens! The weather is great and the entire park is gearing up for the fun of Summer Nights.

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay’s famous cheetah cub, Kasi, visited the park’s new Animal Care Center yesterday for his one-year check-up.

April marks the one-year anniversary of Busch Gardens’ most famous pair.

Kasi and Mtani were introduced to each other last year and have been together ever since.

Kasi and Mtani, one year ago April 2011

Busch Gardens Tampa is celebrating a milestone anniversary for a very special relationship.

This week marked the one-year anniversary of the first time park guests got to see an 8-week-old male cheetah cub and a 16-week-old female yellow Labrador puppy start to strike up a friendship that the park’s animal experts expect to last a lifetime.

This January I began working in the Cheetah Hunt Area of the park, and boy was I excited! It was, and still is, a true learning experience. I learned about all the ride’s safety systems, the extensive and sensitive maintenance it required on a daily basis, and even all the brand new technology that Intamin, the ride manufacturer, showcased on our ride; the use of repelling magnets as the main propulsion method.

Busch Gardens’ Animal Care Center opened to the public at the end of January and some noteworthy procedures have taken place in guest view since then. In the treatment center, guests watch through floor-to-ceiling glass walls as Busch Gardens’ skilled veterinarians do preventative checkups, treatments and surgeries on animals. The most recent procedure was a pre-shipment exam for a 2 1/2 year-old cheetah named Juno.

After your introduction to our journey in Busch Gardens Xpedition Africa 2012: Part 1, here’s Part 2!

On Friday, March 9, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment will broadcast the most recent installment of its Saving a Species series, which features some of Busch Gardens Tampa’s most popular new residents – the cheetahs – and St. Petersburg’s Tropicana Field.

Kasi’s First Birthday Party

Celebrate the first birthday of Busch Garden’s famous cheetah with the team of keepers that have raised him for the past year.