Behind the Scenes of the 2025 AZA Annual Conference at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

In September, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay co-hosted the largest-ever annual conference held by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) – welcoming over three thousand zoological professionals from around the world right here to Tampa Bay!

 

For those unfamiliar - The AZA sets the standard of excellence in for animal wellbeing, public education, and worldwide conservation. Of the 2,800 institutions that are licensed in the United States to exhibit animals, fewer than 10% are AZA-accredited and Busch Gardens is proud to be among them! It is an honor to be chosen to represent the AZA community as one of the hosts of the 2025 Annual Conference.

 

Hosting this year’s conference alongside our friends at ZooTampa and the Florida Aquarium was a true celebration of our city’s passion for wildlife and conservation.

 

A Year in the Making

 

Planning for the week-long event for thousands of guests takes teamwork, creativity and dedication. Beginning in Fall 2024, Busch Gardens team members began to work extensively to highlight the daily conservation work happening right here in Tampa.

 

As the conference approached, everyone was determined and focused on one goal: show the very best Busch Gardens has to offer!

 

In July, the AZA highlighted one of our very own ambassadors, Savannah Ingersoll, a Senior 1 Animal Care Specialist with the Animal Connections Team. The article on their website drew attention to her persistence and her creativity in establishing a new sensory-friendly experience for guests - an inspiring example of how our ambassadors go above and beyond to make animal experiences inclusive for everyone.

 

 

Learning, Sharing and Growing

 

Throughout the conference itself, Busch Gardens’ keepers, educators, HR, event team and more volunteered downtown, at the Tampa Convention Center - answering questions, helping attendees find their way from session to session and of course learning and developing their own skillset!

 

Ambassadors had the chance to attend sessions and lectures about exhibit design, advancing enrichment through technology, leadership techniques and strategies, and conservation initiatives.

 

Several of our keepers even presented their own knowledge and projects, sharing Busch Gardens expertise with professionals from across the globe:

• Sara Rojas, Senior 1 Animal Care Specialist, Penguin & Reptile Team, shared insights on raising penguin chicks, offering best practices on chick care and development within an animal ambassador setting.
• Chris Pranckunas, Animal Care Specialist, Penguin & Reptile Team, presented his work on successfully breeding red-knobbed hornbills, a vulnerable species whose conservation is critical to biodiversity.
• Gillian Mescher-Rodriguez, Senior Animal Care Specialist on the Myombe Team, and her Zoological Supervisor, Sarah Ashley, presented on the successful introduction of chimpanzees to the Busch Gardens troop earlier this year. This milestone was achieved through careful planning and collaboration.
• Rachael Dean, Animal Care Specialist, Elephant Team shared her unique perspective as a former Busch Gardens camper turned zookeeper, highlighting how educational camp programs can inspire future zoological careers.

 

 

These presentations didn’t just showcase our team’s dedication — they celebrated the spirit of collaboration, innovation and passion that drives everything we do at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.

 

 

The Big Finale: Zoo Day at Busch Gardens

 

The main focus, however, came to fruition on the final day of the conference when we hosted “Zoo Day”- an entire day dedicated to conference attendees visiting a host facility! We opened our doors to thousands of visitors from zoos & aquariums around the world.

 

 

Guests explored behind-the-scenes areas at our world-class roller coaster Cheetah Hunt and even peeked inside the “Stranglewood Estates” haunted house.

 

The Zoo Team also had the chance to show off some of the amazing relationships they have formed with the animals for which they care! From practicing an elephant preventative care procedure, to a tiger swimming session, reptile feeding time and more, we’re so grateful to have been able to show our ambassadors’ skill, passion and dedication to so many of our colleagues from other facilities.

 

 

 

What Attendees Had to Say

We were so touched by the heartfelt feedback shared by AZA Conference attendees after their visit - Check out what they said some of their favorite parts of the park were:

• “Everything was amazing.”
• “Such an amazing zoo and experience.”
• “We made some wonderful memories today. My son (1.5 years old) saw his first elephants and said “snake” for the first time. Thank you so much for hosting and giving us the opportunity to have these moments ❤️”
• “… The anteater in the water. The orangutans and Sam, the tiger training session, [Jordan] and the elephants behind the scenes, crocodile selfies, water bottle refill stations, the chimpanzees, the friendly informative staff!”

• “I wanted to share my appreciation to the incredible staff and volunteers who assisted and took time out of their schedules to provide the best experience ...”
• “All of the staff from animal care to guest relations to food and beverage to every staff member we encountered were all amazing, friendly, and informative!!”

 

 

Want to Go Behind the Scenes Too?

 

Ready to peek behind the curtain yourself? You don’t have to be part of a conference to get a peek at the magic behind the gates. Our Insider Tours give you the chance to see some of the behind-the-scenes areas that were open on Zoo Day!

 

Next time you visit, check out the Cheetah House, the Elephant Barn or behind the scenes at the Hippo area by purchasing some of our Insider Tours! Get a peek at what goes into producing Howl-O-Scream during a Howl-O-Scream 2025 Behind the Scenes Tour during spooky season! And for the rollercoaster enthusiast? The Roller Coaster Insider Tour might be for you!

 

If you really can’t get enough of Busch Gardens’ Zoo happenings, you’re in luck! Continue to check this space for more blog posts for inside information and to learn more about the species and individuals that call Busch Gardens home!