North Carolina Zoo Future Plans: Asia (2022) & Australia

Here's what appears to have been an early draft of the zoo's expansion plans from 2017 produced by HH Architecture: NC Zoo Master Plan | HH Architecture

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You can see that the early draft for Asia was once much bigger, closer to the scale of Africa and North America, with several expansion phases. Also included was Australia and an Amazon exhibit south of Desert and Junction Springs, as well as a boat ride and skyride across the North America lake to get to Asia.

Animals listed in Asia:
  • Komodo dragon
  • Orangutan
  • Gibbon
  • Anoa
  • Otter
  • Tapir
  • Hornbill
  • Turtle
  • Chinese alligator
  • Tiger
  • Red panda
  • Langur
  • Vulture
  • Crane
  • Flying fox
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Australia seems to have included a tree house playground near the tree-kangaroos, a petting farm area (presumably with Australian domestic breeds), a boomerang toss course, and venues to learn about Aboriginal culture.

Animals listed in Australia:
  • Cassowary
  • Tree-kangaroo
  • Crocodile monitor
  • Farm animals (Australian breeds?)
  • Red kangaroo
  • Aviary birds
Still glad to be getting new exhibits as the zoo is definitely overdue for an expansion.
 
Thank you @Breckenridge for sharing this. Very interesting. The only "complaint" I have (or rather would have had) is squeezing Australia between Africa and North America. I would have left the desert dome as an exhibit for american desert dwellers (as it orginally was), but with coatis, coyotes and peccaries/javellinas in outside exhibits along the way to North America.
However: The entire Asia complex looks pretty cool. Hopefully this could be realised one day.
 
Papua New Guinea is what was meant. Sorry, I did not undo the shorty! LOL.

Australasia is more than just Australia on its own. Cassowary are only in the northern tropical part across from PNG. I reckon their status is now vulnerable to threatened on both sides of the oceanic passage canal.

The tree kangaroo of choice within AZA is Matschie's from PNG.

If one is full on dreaming allowed one could imagine even Bruijn's pademelon or grey dorcopsis wallaby. I guess it must be red kangaroo and perhaps rock wallaby and emu?
 
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Papua New Guinea is what was meant. Sorry, I did not undo the shorty! LOL.

Australasia is more than just Australia on its own. Cassowary are only in the northern tropical part across from PNG. I reckon their status is now vulnerable to threatened on both sides of the oceanic passage canal.

The tree kangaroo of choice within AZA is Matschie's from PNG.

If one is full on dreaming allowed one could imagine even Bruijn's pademelon or grey dorcopsis wallaby. I guess it must be red kangaroo and perhaps rock wallaby and emu?

You needn't dream as hard for them to add Agile Wallabies which are found on New Guinea but also available in the US in non-AZA zoos. Would be nice, but still unlikely.
 
Papua New Guinea is what was meant. Sorry, I did not undo the shorty! LOL.

Australasia is more than just Australia on its own. Cassowary are only in the northern tropical part across from PNG. I reckon their status is now vulnerable to threatened on both sides of the oceanic passage canal.

The tree kangaroo of choice within AZA is Matschie's from PNG.

If one is full on dreaming allowed one could imagine even Bruijn's pademelon or grey dorcopsis wallaby. I guess it must be red kangaroo and perhaps rock wallaby and emu?

Australasia is a much broader term, and compromises not only Australia, but also Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and some of the Pacific Islands.

It's the Northern Cassowary that are vulnerable; Southern and Dwarf are Least Concern.
 
With all that space for the 2 part phase for Asian Shores do you think they're going to do a Nepalese/Kaziranga style multispecies exhibit with Asian Elephants, Indian Rhinos, Water Buffalo, and Barasingha??? It's be incredible if they did! Or they could theme it to the Mekong/Indochina region with Banteng, Sambar, Malayan Tapir, and other species? NC Zoo could be the next big HUGE encyclopedic zoo like Zoo Miami!
 
With all that space for the 2 part phase for Asian Shores do you think they're going to do a Nepalese/Kaziranga style multispecies exhibit with Asian Elephants, Indian Rhinos, Water Buffalo, and Barasingha??? It's be incredible if they did! Or they could theme it to the Mekong/Indochina region with Banteng, Sambar, Malayan Tapir, and other species? NC Zoo could be the next big HUGE encyclopedic zoo like Zoo Miami!
I would like to see them so both eventually. I mean, they have the space to.
 
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