Cheetahs Take Over Tropicana Field

Cheetahs from ran across the turf of Tropicana Field while video cameras captured their every move.

They weren’t playing baseball or football—they were the stars of an episode of Shamu TV’s Saving a Species series, which features animals from around the world.

The series allows viewers to accompany Busch Gardens and Sea World animal experts as they visit exotic, remote locations and learn about different animal species, according to a Busch Gardens press release. It is available to teachers, broadcast by local educational cable channels, ITV and PBS stations throughout the United States.

During the cheetahs’ visit to the Trop, the stadium was closed to outside visitors, the release states. With the turf marked for the St. Petersburg Bowl football game, which took place Dec. 20, the cheetahs were encouraged to run the length of the field. High-definition and slow-motion cameras recorded them chasing a lure system identical to the one in their at Busch Gardens.

“Even though we have this awesome habitat at Busch Gardens, a 100-yard football field will give us the opportunity to showcase what that speed looks like on a field that people can relate to,” Tim Smith, a Busch Gardens assistant curator who works with the cheetahs daily, said in the release.

For more information about Shamu TV, visit www.shamutv.com.