Potential residents for the new Asia complex?
North Carolina Zoo North Carolina Zoo news 2025
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Potential residents for the new Asia complex?
So I just got back from a visit to the North Carolina Zoo, but I did something a little different; I spent the entire day in JUST the North America region (I plan to go back soon to do the same with Africa). Here are some updates.
- Rocky Coast - Normally, I list these in the order I visited them, but I have to put Rocky Coast first because, well, this exhibit was an emotional roller coaster today.
- Apparently, something happened in the lower paths (where the underwater viewing and seabird exhibits are) that caused standing water to flood the pathway, causing it to be closed off for part of the day. I was initially told that it might have been due to a pipe bursting, but the actual cause was ultimately unknown. Thankfully, they were able to drain all the water and reopen the area sometime during the day (I did not return to Rocky Coast until about an hour prior to closing).
- Now the bad news; the zoo no longer has Thick-billed Murre (Uria lomvia). They are gone. I last saw them in February, but didn't see them in May. I was told that their remaining individuals have died out with the last one being sent to an facility that cannot be disclosed. Also, NC was the only place these were on display to my knowledge. So once that last individual (who is quite old to boot) passes on, that is it for the species in US zoos.
- They are also down to one Parakeet Auklet (Aethia psittacula) (though I think this has been the case for a while). Said individual is also the last of his kind in the country from what I've heard. And said individual is also pushing 30 years old. So if you want to see this incredibly rare seabird, you better get your butts down here to Asheboro schnell!
- The fencing surrounding the Arctic Fox exhibit has been replaced again! This time by a new metal fence that cannot be ducked under (like the old metal fence), but it at least now allows small children to see into the exhibit without aid, unlike the wooden fencing they had earlier this year.
- There has still been no movement on the former harbor seal exhibit, and I believe the zoo is still deciding what to do with the space.
- Cypress Swamp
- With Maximus having passed on, a smaller Alligator Snapping Turtle now occupies his former exhibit in the Interpretive Center. I believe this is the individual that formerly occupied the exhibit next to the Cougars; that exhibit is now unoccupied.
- The Sandhills display now has only Gopher Frog (Lithobates capito) and Eastern Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum) signed. Signage for the newts and hognose snake has been removed. No animals were seen (no thanks to the incredibly bad glare that now baths this exhibit).
- Streamside
- The game fish aquarium in the lower building is STILL covered. Does anyone know what they are doing with this exhibit?
- The Timber Rattlesnake terrarium is still unoccupied.
- Desert
- There is now free-flying Red-capped Cardinal (Paroaria gularis) and what I think is a White-rumped Shama (Copsychus malabaricus) in the main dome. These two species are rather weird additions as they are mainly tropical forest species (although I wonder if the Shama is temporary until Asia opens).
- I also actually saw the Worm-eating Warbler (Helmitheros vermivorum) for the first time. Meaning I have finally seen every free-flying bird species housed in the dome, and during one visit as well, assuming I didn't miss any other unsigned species.
- This means I saw every free-flying bird they have in there in one visit, assuming I didn't miss any other unsigned species.
- I am now convinced there are no Baja Blue Rock Lizards on display in the dome at all. But I did actually see them back in May....behind the scenes when they pulled back the Sidewinder terrarium to rearrange some furnishings.
- The Gila Monster/Beaded Lizard exhibit has been reopened, although I only saw one of each on my visit (previous visits yielded multiple individuals).
- The small terrarium to the right of the tortoise burrow is still unused.
- Their desert tortoise actually managed to flip himself upside down, but he managed to right himself in a matter of minutes.
- Prairie
- I was told the zoo is working to get the geyser back up and running, and potentially even before Asia opens. It is still down for maintenance and they may have had issues with it, but it looked like it was ran recently (the basin was wet and had puddles despite a lack of recent rain).
They may have been aviary birds that were kept behind the scenes and only now put on public habitat.
I made another trip out to the North Carolina Zoo this past weekend and spent the entire day in the Africa region (although I did briefly revisit the Desert). Weather was absolutely beautiful, and a zoofari tour reaffirmed just how elite the Watani Grasslands Reserve is.
Speaking of which, the Zoofari Guide did provide some updates regarding the Zoo's current and future projects.
Other than that, there was nothing really worth mentioning regarding the Africa region itself, but there appears to be some landscaping work taking place on the closed section of path near the Giraffe Feeding Deck. There is also some minor construction work taking place near the Africa tram stop, although I don't think its anything significant.
As much as I enjoyed doing an Africa-only visit, I do have to say that the Africa region really badly needs new exhibits and animals. The North America region seems to have been getting all the new goodies, leaving Africa behind. I hope that, after Australia, they start working on bringing Africa up to par with North America.
Speaking of which, the Zoofari Guide did provide some updates regarding the Zoo's current and future projects.
- Asia - The zoo is currently shooting for a June 2026 opening. The guide advised that all is going smoothly. The guide did mention some animals, but nothing we didn't already know from prior material.
- Australia - Australia is currently slated for a 2029 opening. The exhibit will be located near the Red Wolves (I believe on the plot of land between that and the Desert). The zoo chose this location to take advantage of the natural landscape and rocks. No groundbreaking date is know at this time, nor is it known currently how long Australia will take to build and open (if it needs 4 years like Asia, it needs to break ground like....now in order to meet a 2029 opening).
Other than that, there was nothing really worth mentioning regarding the Africa region itself, but there appears to be some landscaping work taking place on the closed section of path near the Giraffe Feeding Deck. There is also some minor construction work taking place near the Africa tram stop, although I don't think its anything significant.
As much as I enjoyed doing an Africa-only visit, I do have to say that the Africa region really badly needs new exhibits and animals. The North America region seems to have been getting all the new goodies, leaving Africa behind. I hope that, after Australia, they start working on bringing Africa up to par with North America.
The Zoo Society posted on Facebook stating the zoo is beginning to look into species for Australia, with species like red kangaroos and koalas mentioned directly while tree-kangaroos and likely echidnas are hinted at. A link to a donation page is present. The page includes images of red and gray kangaroos, a parma wallaby, a tree-kangaroo, an echidna, and an emu. There is curiously no mention of cassowaries which were a major part of the Australia concepts several years ago.
It’ll still be interesting to see how the concepts for Australia develop now that Asia is coming into fruition. I like the potential idea of echidnas and koalas in NC.
It’ll still be interesting to see how the concepts for Australia develop now that Asia is coming into fruition. I like the potential idea of echidnas and koalas in NC.
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The Zoofari guide did mention that the zoo had finalized the plans for Australia (completely forgot to mention this in my post above), so it makes sense they are now looking for species to add.
Cassowaries seemingly being dropped from the plans doesn't surprise me, and might be for the better since they are already at Greensboro. In fact, I wonder if that is why they have been dropped. The initial plans for Australia, which included Cassowaries, was initially shared here back in 2018. Revolution Ridge did not break ground until the following year, but would open in 2021. So I wonder if GSC beating NC Zoo to the punch motivated them to not get Cassowaries.
Also, I remember someone here saying that there is some sort of "gentleman's agreement" that both places would avoid overlaps in species as much as possible (I have no idea how true that actually is).
Cassowaries seemingly being dropped from the plans doesn't surprise me, and might be for the better since they are already at Greensboro. In fact, I wonder if that is why they have been dropped. The initial plans for Australia, which included Cassowaries, was initially shared here back in 2018. Revolution Ridge did not break ground until the following year, but would open in 2021. So I wonder if GSC beating NC Zoo to the punch motivated them to not get Cassowaries.
Also, I remember someone here saying that there is some sort of "gentleman's agreement" that both places would avoid overlaps in species as much as possible (I have no idea how true that actually is).
Hyped beyond comprehension! It's incredible that NC Zoo's been getting this much traction and love after some growing pains (the loss of the African Pavilion and Forest Aviary being notable examples), I am curious if they'll look into species like wombats in addition to the lineup they're currently looking at.
There is *some* overlap with species like Komodo dragon and Asian small-clawed otter in Asia and sand cat in The Desert. I do see your point, like how NC went with Malayan tigers to complement Greensboro's Sumatrans, or NC went with white-cheeked gibbons to complement Greensboro's Javan gibbons.
Considering that NC Zoo was looking at penguins for Rocky Coast, I wouldn't be surprised if they went with Humboldt or Magellanic rather than African (side tangent, I could see Rocky Coast going in a similar direction like Desert as far as being considered a "separate area" from North America).
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On October 16th, it was reported that the zoo helped rehabiliate and release 12 American black bears back into the wild.
Twelve rehabilitated North Carolina bear cubs returned to the wild, some in ENC
Twelve rehabilitated North Carolina bear cubs returned to the wild, some in ENC
On October 16th, the zoo announced that (0.2) horned puffins hatched. This is the first time in North Carolina's history to successfully fledged the puffins without staff intervention.
North Carolina Zoo
* Worth mentioning that the zoo transferred an eastern indigo snake to ZooMontana in Montana in October 2024.
The zoo announced via Facebook that they have four non-releasable brown pelicans now living in the old seal habitat in Rocky Coast
While it’s sad the pinnipeds are gone, this is a major new species for the zoo and a bird at that!
While it’s sad the pinnipeds are gone, this is a major new species for the zoo and a bird at that!
Should also be noted that the zoo's male (1.0) harbor seal Ronan did not pass away and was transferred to another AZA facility who had their seal exhibit renovated recently.
A female red wolf named Ginger has arrived.
Endangered red wolf named Ginger arrives at North Carolina Zoo | abc11.com
Endangered red wolf named Ginger arrives at North Carolina Zoo | abc11.com
Some updates from my visit today:
The roof is back on the Cypress Swamp viewing area. I don't know if this is a seasonal thing but I hope it remains, because the glare is awful during the summertime/sunny days.
The alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) habitat is undergoing renovations. I assume they're taking advantage of the brumation period to do necessary work on the habitat.
The timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) habitat is still being worked on. Hope it reopens soon.
Same thing for the eastern fence lizard (Sceloporus undulatus) enclosure, as well as the gamefish tank.
The geyser is working again! Hopefully this is a domino effect for the other closed parts of the zoo as well.
The red wolf statue near their enclosure has settled in nicely and looks amazing.
The desert dome was closed for a few weeks, but a new species has been added! The nocturnal area now has lesser hedgehog tenrecs (Echinops telfairi), mixed with the gray mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus), which is excellent. I'm glad to see more zoos holding and breeding tenrecs. Unfortunately, I didn't see the vampire bats and the tawny frogmouth (Podargus strigoides) is still unsigned.
The gift shop in the Junction Plaza has reopened.
And finally, some more news on Asia. I saw them bringing in more plants for the area, and a docent mentioned that there would be 10+ species of herps by his estimate, so that's exciting! Hope it's true...
The roof is back on the Cypress Swamp viewing area. I don't know if this is a seasonal thing but I hope it remains, because the glare is awful during the summertime/sunny days.
The alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) habitat is undergoing renovations. I assume they're taking advantage of the brumation period to do necessary work on the habitat.
The timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) habitat is still being worked on. Hope it reopens soon.
Same thing for the eastern fence lizard (Sceloporus undulatus) enclosure, as well as the gamefish tank.
The geyser is working again! Hopefully this is a domino effect for the other closed parts of the zoo as well.
The red wolf statue near their enclosure has settled in nicely and looks amazing.
The desert dome was closed for a few weeks, but a new species has been added! The nocturnal area now has lesser hedgehog tenrecs (Echinops telfairi), mixed with the gray mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus), which is excellent. I'm glad to see more zoos holding and breeding tenrecs. Unfortunately, I didn't see the vampire bats and the tawny frogmouth (Podargus strigoides) is still unsigned.
The gift shop in the Junction Plaza has reopened.
And finally, some more news on Asia. I saw them bringing in more plants for the area, and a docent mentioned that there would be 10+ species of herps by his estimate, so that's exciting! Hope it's true...
This is good to hear. I doubt its a seasonal thing since it's just a normal roof that doesn't seem like its meant to be taken on and off repeatedly. I think they were just replacing it. Yes, the glare was absolutely horrible and made it extremely difficult to see into the Indigo Snake and Sandhills displays.
The Timber Rattlesnake exhibit has been empty all year. I miss the days when it held Copperheads, Timbers, and Eastern Diamondbacks together. Likewise, the game fish aquarium has been covered up since at least April now. And I never had an opportunity to ask what is going on.
Probably the best news to come from your visit, as I really enjoy the geyser feature and am glad to hear that it is running again (and also that the updates given to me by staff from my Sept visits were not just speculation!). Though I believe it was only shut down to accommodate the construction of Asia. I do still hope they address the growing number of empty/covered enclosures popping up around the zoo.
I believe it was a planned closure for maintenance. Also, the Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec has been there for at least a year now.