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Now you can handle Busch beasts

A new Busch Gardens attraction will allow visitors to interact with dozens of animals.

By MARK ALBRIGHT, Times Staff Writer
Published December 14, 2007

A cuscus stretches to get an apple from Loralei Nistal, a member of the animal ambassador team at Busch Gardens.
	[Kathleen Flynn | Times]

ADVERTISEMENT [Kathleen Flynn | Times] A lemur crawls on the head of zoo educator Shiloh Underkoffler at Busch Gardens' new Jamba Junction. [Kathleen Flynn | Times] Gerard Hoeppner, senior director of communications for Florida Parks, holds a coatimundi at Busch Gardens. The new Jamba Junction interactive area is expected to open by Christmas.

TAMPA - Ever wonder why those Busch Gardens animals cavorting on TV talk shows with Jack Hanna or Julie Scardina are rarely seen in the theme park?

Wonder no more. Busch Gardens Africa is installing a public home for them, enabling park guests to get up close and personal with critters like the skittish David Letterman and Jay Leno do.

Busch staffers are busy training about 30 animals to get used to hanging around and being handled by humans at what's called Jamba Junction. By June the collection that ranges from anteaters to lemurs and skunks will top 60.

Half the animals come from captive breeding programs. The rest come from animal rescue shelters, often after a family that wanted an unusual pet learned they adopted a wild animal.

One of Jamba Junction's first residents, for instance, is a coatimundi whose previous owner had it de-fanged and de-clawed.

The place is part of a low budget $250,000 revitalization of the old petting zoo and the animal nursery that once showed off park new-borns behind picture windows. The petting zoo was closed in 2001 after officials decided goats were too rambunctious for small kids and too close to livestock for a zoo. The park's breeding programs shifted to a larger animal hospital and a more bucolic setting at the Busch Animal Outpost in Pasco County.

The project has been shrouded by the hype building for the April opening of Busch Gardens' new $40-million Jungala. Crews are sculpting the rock and other theming at the four-acre Asian jungle that includes habitats for orangutans, massive bats and 11 tigers plus a restaurant and new family rides that cater to tweens.

Except for a few animal encounters like a chance to grasp the muscles of a foot-thick Burmese python, Busch has been charging up to $35 extra for behind-the-scenes VIP tours with the more exotic parts of its 2,000 animal collection.

"I have one of the coolest jobs in the world," said Bill Street, park director of zoological education who oversees a staff of 100 full- and part-time workers depending on the time of year. "So we're inviting people to come in to see and participate in what we do here. Help us prepare meals for the flamingos. Feed the birds. Pet our Australian cuscus." It's a lemur-like possum.

The staff may close the doors occasionally, he cautioned, should one of the high speed, high metabolism inhabitants get a case of wanderlust.

The nine Busch parks maintain a backstage menagerie of about 100 creatures for educational and promotional programs. Most of the year the animals are on the road with a 35-foot RV equipped with a built-in stage delivering programs to school and civic groups.

With Hanna, who syndicates his own TV show, and Scardina, director of animal ambassadors for the Busch and Sea World parks, the animals also make the morning feature news show circuit including the Today Show and Good Morning America.

"I've spent many a night sharing my hotel bed with Harry the Sloth," said Street. "The animals always travel first class."

Mark Albright can be reached at albright@sptimes.com">href="mailto:albright@sptimes.com" mce_href="mailto:albright@sptimes.com">albright@sptimes.com or 727-893-8252.

TAMPA - Ever wonder why those Busch Gardens animals cavorting on TV talk shows with Jack Hanna or Julie Scardina are rarely seen in the theme park?

Wonder no more. Busch Gardens Africa is installing a public home for them, enabling park guests to get up close and personal with critters like the skittish David Letterman and Jay Leno do.

Busch staffers are busy training about 30 animals to get used to being handled by humans at what's called Jamba Junction. By June, the collection that ranges from anteaters to lemurs and skunks will top 60.

Half the animals come from captive breeding programs. The rest come from animal rescue shelters, often after a family that wanted an unusual pet learned they adopted a wild animal.

One of Jamba Junction's first residents, for instance, is a coatimundi whose previous owner had it defanged and declawed.

The place is part of a low-budget $250,000 revitalization of the old petting zoo and the animal nursery that once showed off park newborns behind windows. The petting zoo was closed in 2001 after officials decided goats were too rambunctious for kids and too close to livestock for a zoo. The park's breeding programs shifted to a larger animal hospital and a more bucolic setting at the Busch Animal Outpost in Pasco County.

The project has been shrouded by the hype building for the April opening of Busch Gardens' new $40-million Jungala. Crews are sculpting the rock and other theming at the 4-acre Asian jungle that includes habitats for orangutans, massive bats and 11 tigers, plus a restaurant and new family rides that cater to tweens.

Except for a few animal encounters, Busch has been charging up to $35 extra for behind-the-scenes VIP tours.

"I have one of the coolest jobs in the world," said Bill Street, park director of zoological education who oversees a staff of 100 full- and part-time workers. "So we're inviting people to come in to see and participate in what we do here. Help us prepare meals for the flamingos. Feed the birds. Pet our Australian cuscus." (It's a lemurlike possum.)

The nine Busch parks maintain a backstage menagerie of about 100 creatures for educational and promotional programs. Most of the year the animals are on the road with a 35-foot RV equipped with a built-in stage delivering programs to school and civic groups.

With Hanna, who syndicates his own TV show, and Scardina, director of animal ambassadors for the Busch and Sea World parks, the animals also make the morning feature news show circuit including the Today Show and Good Morning America.

"I've spent many a night sharing my hotel bed with Harry the sloth," Street said. "The animals always travel first class."

Mark Albright can be reached at albright@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8252.

Busch Gardens' Jamba Junction

What is it? The Jamba Junction features animal interaction by offering guided tours inside outdoor habitats filled with the animals and their favorite toys, and by leaving wide open the doors to a repainted nursery full of new residents.

What animals will be featured? The collection will include anteaters, lemurs and skunks, among others. Staffers are training 30 animals now; by June, the collection will include 60 animals.

When will it open? The attraction opens by Christmas and is built into the park's admission.

[Last modified December 13, 2007, 23:00:29]