Yesterday morning Julie Scardina joined the TODAY Show's Kathie Lee and Hoda for a segment about animal defenses. We hope you tuned in or followed along on our social channels. If you missed it, the video is embedded below along with our favorite photos from the segment. Let us know what you think!

Good News! We’ll be serving up some fresh new content on our blog. Nine team members have been hand selected to be a part of our new blog team. You’ll be hearing from each of our new writers about once a month, offering an inside perspective about what’s going on around Busch Gardens. Keep an eye out for stories from our newest members:

Members of the U.S. armed services, park guests and employees celebrated Flag Day today at SeaWorld in Orlando, San Antonio and San Diego, Busch Gardens in Tampa and Williamsburg, and Sesame Place.

Special military ceremonies and tributes, including a joint-services ceremony at SeaWorld San Antonio, took place during the day.

SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment is opening 10 new attractions this summer across our 10 parks, the largest single-year capital investment in the company’s history. Check out today’s CNBC interview with company president and C.E.O. Jim Atchison as he discusses the parks’ strong year-to-date performance and summer forecast, live from our latest addition: Cheetah Hunt in Busch Gardens Tampa.

Watch Julie Scardina and “animal lifesavers” from SeaWorld, Busch Gardens and Discovery Cove on the Dr. Oz show this Thursday, May 19. Dr. Oz meets penguins, a vulture, a sloth and a camel – and chats with Julie about important medical insights we can learn from animals.

Cleaning coast lines, restoring oyster reefs, teaching green tips at environmental events, and hosting interactive educational experiences at the parks are just a few ways SeaWorld and Busch Gardens parks across the U.S. are getting involved this Earth Day.

The United States Travel Association’s (USTA) Discover America Daily Getaways promotion is back by popular demand for a second year. The promotion runs April 11 through May 13, 2011 allowing travelers to save up to 60 percent on airfare, hotels, car rentals, theme park admission and city attraction passes. You can access these deals through a website especially created for this promotion, DailyGetaways.com.

SEAmail, our new periodic e-newsletter, features heart-warming moments that take place in our 10 parks and their local communities – moments made possible by people who are committed to making a difference. The latest edition includes efforts to save a baby beluga whale, making a difference for children with autism and more.