North Carolina Zoo Announces Opening Date for Massive New Asia Expansion in 2027
The North Carolina Zoo finally has a date for its new Asia expansion. The 12.5-acre area will open to the public at noon on March 1, 2027.
The zoo shared the date in an official announcement on October 5. Asia will be its first major development in more than 30 years, since the North America section opened in 1994.
The project has been in the works for years. The zoo broke ground in August 2022 after North Carolina lawmakers approved $75 million over two years to begin construction.
Asia will add nearly 50 species to the zoo, along with more than 6,000 new plants. Malayan tigers, Komodo dragons, white-cheeked gibbons and Asian small-clawed otters are all on the list.
The project broke ground back in 2022
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When the zoo held its groundbreaking, it still had no official opening date. The 2022 announcement said guests could follow the construction as work continued.
There have been a few other pieces added along the way. In 2023, the zoo and North Carolina Zoo Society put out a call for a permanent outdoor art project for Asia, with a $250,000 budget provided by the Zoo Society.
The zoo says the finished expansion is being paid for with a mix of state money and private donations.
Tigers will have an overhead walk
Malayan tigers will be one of the bigger animals in the new section. The zoo says the species is critically endangered. Guests will be able to see the tigers from an overhead tiger walk. There will also be a large indoor café looking into the habitat.
The Asia page lists plenty of other animals, including Visayan warty pigs, Chinese alligators, Chinese giant salamanders, king cobras and cinereous vultures.
The zoo also plans to bring in four-eyed turtles, crocodile monitors, demoiselle cranes and blue-crowned laughingthrushes.
Asia is part of a bigger zoo expansion
The Asia section will be included with regular zoo admission, and the new area will have its own gift shop next to the café. The animals will come from other institutions accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums.
Asia also comes during a bigger period of growth for the North Carolina Zoo. In 2025, the zoo said Australia would be the next new continent after Asia and was slated to open in 2029. For now, Asia is first. The new section opens at noon on March 1, 2027.
