Cheetah Hunt

When Rhino Rally opened in May 2001, it was a unique and ambitious ride.  The cars not only drove by animals, there was a water section!  The water ride portion was built by Vekoma.  The cars would be driven onto what looked like a floating bridge.  The bridge would appear to break loose and float free with the car still sitting on it.   The effect of a large vehicle floating downstream had never been seen on an amusement park ride before, and it was very interesting.  The bridge would eventually wash up near a conveniently placed road, and the car would be driven up and away from the river.

The effect of a run-away section of bridge was impressive, but very controlled.  The cars were locked firmly on the bridge segment.  The bridge was moved down the river by a track and a system of cables and pulleys.  Even the direction the bridge was facing was controlled by the mechanisms installed below the waterline.  It was exciting, and quite a surprise for the uninformed, to be in a car on a bridge and have the bridge break free and float downstream, but the water section of Rhino Rally had many technical problems.  Between the reliability issues and the need for open areas for Cheetah Hunt, the water portion of Rhino Rally closed in May 2010.  The rest of Rhino Rally closed in September 2014, and most of the animals scattered around the ride were moved to other areas of the park.

©2021 by Joel A. Rogers.