The Tampa Bay park has opened a 38,000-square-foot habitat as part of a five-year investment programme combining animal care, immersion and visitor upgrades.
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay opened Lion & Hyena Ridge on July 25, adding a 38,000-square-foot habitat featuring five lions and two hyenas to its zoological collection. The opening forms part of a planned $200 million, five-year investment in the park, which includes additional attractions, animal habitats and guest-experience improvements. Busch Gardens said the project is intended to give visitors closer views of the animals while supporting their physical, social and mental well-being.
The development reflects the way modern zoological attractions increasingly combine animal viewing with designed environments and educational engagement. Lion & Hyena Ridge includes 270-degree glass viewing areas, interactive cave spaces and overhead bridges, giving visitors several perspectives across the habitat. The park described the experience as safari-style, with naturalistic rock formations, varied terrain and cascading water elements shaping the setting.
Behind the visitor-facing design are features intended to provide enrichment and flexibility for the animals. Climbing structures, water elements and heated and cooled rocks allow the lions and hyenas to play, explore and select comfortable areas throughout the day, while the animals can rotate between different sections. Because lions and hyenas are natural rivals in the wild, the release said they do not occupy the same habitat areas at the same time.
The attraction also gives Busch Gardens a substantial physical project around which to organise its broader park transformation. The company said the $200 million plan is bringing new attractions, animal habitats and enhanced spaces to the 300-acre park, which combines rides, seasonal events and an Association of Zoos & Aquariums-accredited zoo. The release positioned Lion & Hyena Ridge as the latest addition to that programme rather than as a standalone animal exhibit.
For visitors, the opening links the appeal of close animal encounters with the park’s wider conservation and experience offer. Busch Gardens said the habitat is designed to inspire conservation and curiosity, while park president Jon Vigue described it as part of a new chapter in the enhancement plan. The project’s significance therefore rests on how it joins animal-care infrastructure and guest interaction within one of the park’s largest announced investment programmes.
