New Animal Care Center Opens Jan. 23

Busch Gardens’ state-of-the-art facility gives guests a firsthand look at how the park cares for its animals.

Busch Gardens veterinarians held Brownie, a pink flamingo, in place and lifted one of its legs. Although Florida temperatures are generally warm, the last few chilly mornings had left Brownie’s webbed feet dry and cracked. In order to remedy the situation Thursday morning, the vets used cold laser therapy treatment on the bottoms of Brownie’s feet. The difference between Thursday’s procedure and those in the past is that this one was performed in front of onlookers at the park’s new Animal Care Center, a nearly 16,000-square-foot facility located in the Nairobi area of the park where the rhino exhibit used to be. “The part we’re most excited about is that it’s going to be open to the public,” said senior veterinarian Pete Black. Once the …

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