Will Busch Gardens' new coaster have spots?

It won't open until Spring, but Busch Gardens is already successfully building up anticipation of its next roller coaster, even though the theme park won'tofficially announce much.

That hasn't stopped bloggers and theme park watchers from grasping at every nugget of information it finds and speculating online.

The latest rumors are that the new coaster will bear the name Cheetaka and include as many as 3 launched sections. The coaster is expected to cover a sprawling area, occupying most of the existing Edge of Africa land. The water section of Rhino Rally has already been closed to accommodate it, according to www.themeparktourist.com.

"We're very flattered that everyone else is really excited about what we're doing," said Busch Gardens spokeswoman Jill Revelle. "But not ready to release anything new at this time."

Even so, Busch Gardens is playing along.

Its vice president of Zoology, Mike Boos, appears in a recent YouTube video with hints about what the theme park is working on. He said the ride will be alongside a new animal exhibit. He didn't say which one, but dropped some not-so-subtle hints that it will have something to do with a cheetah and lots of speed.

Revelle said the park wants to keep people excited about the ride but wants to release information on its own terms.

"Now more than ever before, with this digital age, it would be nearly impossible for us to keep something like this 100 percent secret until the day we announce it," she said. "We want to define the way we engage our fans."

Another video with more hints is expected to be released next week, she said.

Busch Gardens completed support pads for a coaster in October, according to Tampa's Construction Services Center. The theme park applied a year ago to construct four buildings near an old sky ride loading platform maintenance area.

This will be the park's first coaster since Sheikra opened in 2005.