Busch Gardens Tampa Announces Triple-Launch Tigris Coaster for 2019

Busch Gardens Tampa today announced plans for Tigris, a triple-launch steel coaster that will open at the park in 2019.

Tigris will stand 150 feet tall and and will feature three launches with both forward and backward motion. The track stretches 1,800 feet with a top speed of 60 mph. Riders will maneuver an inverted heartline roll and a “non-inverting” loop.

When it opens, Tigris will be the tallest launch coaster in Florida.

Tigris is a Premier Sky Rocket II model, the third to be purchased by Busch Gardens Tampa’s parent company, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. Electric Eel at SeaWorld San Diego opened in 2018 and Tempesto at Busch Gardens Williamsburg debuted in 2015.

The coaster will be built in the Stanleyville section of the park and will occupy a portion of the space once home to the Tanganyika Tidal Wave shoot-the-chute water ride.

Tigris’ name is inspired by the world’s largest cat species, Panthera tigris. The roller coaster is centered around the education and conservation of these animals:

More than 100,000 tigers stalked the grasslands and forests of Asia just 100 years ago. Now, every remaining subspecies of this big cat are endangered, and fewer than 4,000 total tigers remain in the wild. Threats to tiger populations include poaching, human encroachment on vital tiger habitat, deforestation and loss of vital prey species.

The Tigris queue will feature educational content about the tigers in the wild and what conservationists – including the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund – are doing to help save them.

In addition, 5 percent of sales from purchases made in the new Tigris gift shop will be donated to the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund to protect tigers and their habitat.

“Tigris will be a strong addition to our family of world-class thrill rides. With three intensely exciting launch points, this ride is unlike anything we have in our coaster collection,” said Stewart Clark, president and general manager of Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.

“This new attraction is a testament to our continuing investment in the park, and bringing new and innovative experiences to our guests.”

Busch Gardens Tampa Teases 2020 Gwazi

Perhaps just as interesting (if not more) than the Tigris announcement, Busch Gardens Tampa also teased another thrill ride to open in 2020 in the Gwazi area of the park.

The dueling Gwazi wooden coaster closed in early 2015 and have stood silent ever since. The coaster has been speculated to be slated for a Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) hybrid conversion. This could be what the park is teasing. Time will tell.

Tigris is expected to open in the spring 0f 2019. More information is available at Busch Gardens Tampa’s website.

What do you think about Tigris? What are your theories about the 2020 plans? Discuss in the comments section below!

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