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New animal exhibits to open within the next few weeks at BREC Zoo

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BATON ROUGE - Construction can be an eyesore and frustrating as the public takes a stroll through the BREC Zoo, but officials say the time to reveal the final product is almost here.

Pretty soon, the Baton Rouge Zoo could look unrecognizable to some as crews continue to shift areas and animals around into their own specific regions. Currently, most of the animals are not on display as the zoo works to complete their $30 million project.

The updates are to make the area a more modern zoological standard, meaning the layout will be organized by geological region rather than species.

Each species will be within their own region. So, you'll begin to see African, Asian, and South American species within their own group, as well as other regions.

One that is almost completed is the African exhibit.

"We have Abdim storks, sacred ibis, lappet face vultures, Turcios species and possibly some others," said Zoo Director at BREC Zoo, Jim Fleshman. "In the bigger exhibit, we'll have black and white colobus monkeys, pygmy hippos and white nape raves. So, we're creating those biomes in the little homes for them. That'll really dress it up for them give the public something to make them feel like they're in Africa."

The African exhibit is expected to be completed and open to the public in two to three weeks. Two other exhibits are also in the works and should be completed in within two months.

Not only will it be a fresh new look to the public, but this will also help the animals adapt in their new habitat.

"We're trying to make that diverse exhibit so everything is moving and we get some natural behaviors out of the species and something just really new for the public to see," said Fleshman.

They're also working to bring the public even more excitement, including an interactive experience with the giraffes.

"We've built a new giraffe barn and we're going to almost double the size of the exhibit itself and one of the highlights for that is the public is going to be able to walk out to the exhibit on an elevated boardwalk and they'll be able to get face to face with the giraffe for a feeding experience," said Fleshman.

The giraffe exhibit is expected to be completed by spring 2024.

For more information on the zoo's masterplan, you can visit their website here

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