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By Leigh Andrus,
Busch Entertainment Corporation
On April 22, one eight-horse Clydesdale hitch started in New York, and another Clydesdale hitch left San Francisco for a cross-country trek called “Clydesdales Across America.”
Part of the “Here’s to the Heroes Tour 2005,” the Clydesdale team visited 21 cities in 10 weeks, covering more than 17,600 miles on its way to St. Louis. SeaWorld and Busch Gardens animals accompanied every leg of the tour, along with a mobile exhibit that allowed visitors to record customized messages to U.S. troops serving overseas. More than 9,500 Americans recorded their messages of support along the way. The messages will air throughout the summer on American Forces Radio and Television Service at U.S. military outposts in more than 177 countries worldwide and on the Pentagon Channel, which reaches 150 military bases throughout the U.S.
SeaWorld and Busch Gardens were invited to participate in the two inaugural events, and it was quickly decided that that parks’ participation should extend to every stop of the 21-city tour. The parks’ participation was a perfect complement to Anheuser-Busch’s “Here’s to the Heroes” salute program, which allows active-duty military and as many as three dependents free single-day admission to any SeaWorld, Busch Gardens or Sesame Place park throughout 2005.
More than 100,000 people visited the Here’s to the Heroes mobile displays and the SeaWorld and Busch Gardens animals during the 10-week tour. Approximately 38,000 visitors at these community events had the chance to meet some of the SeaWorld and Busch Gardens animal ambassadors up close. The animal ambassador program travels to dozens of schools and events around the country each year, but this tour provided a unique opportunity to visit towns and events that would not ordinarily get a visit from the company’s exotic animal ambassadors.
The animals chosen for this tour represent some of the most educational and recognizable ambassadors from around the world. The American bald eagle helped share the parks’ rescue and rehabilitation story. Most visitors were unaware that SeaWorld and Busch Gardens have rescued more than 14,000 animals since 1975. The two bald eagles that joined the tour were great examples of those efforts.
Visitors learned that dozens of these birds of prey are injured every year and Anheuser-Busch parks provide lifelong homes to more than a dozen eagles that cannot be returned to the wild due to debilitating injuries. Guests also learned that they can contribute to worldwide conservation through the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund.
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