A new $20 million exhibit at the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium is set to open later this spring. The Asian Highlands exhibit covers eight acres on a hillside near the Aviary . Once it's finished it will be home to several exotic animals like tigers, snow leopards, red pandas and Indian rhinos.
All of the animals are native to Asia with many found in upper elevations. Zoo officials said it means the animals should be comfortable with Omaha's chilly winter season. "It’s higher elevations and so they are adapted for living in cold weather,” says Zoo Director Dennis Pate. “They like cold weather. And so when we were planning this project, we wanted an exhibit that the animals would be able to be viewed most of the year.”
Pate says visitors will enter a Himalayan-themed forest where the red panda exhibit will be. "The higher up you go, it'll become more evergreen forest, so you'll be climbing in elevation as you walk through the project," Pate says. "It might be one of the most immersive outdoor projects we've done here because of the architecture from the Himalayan highlands and the village ruins that we've used."
The exhibit is still under construction, with the first portion slated to open at the end of May. The entire project should be finished next year.