Asian Highlands exhibit ready for Friday debut

The second and final phase of the Asian Highlands exhibit opens Friday at the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium.

The ribbon cutting is at 10:30 a.m. but we have an inside look at what you can expect.

You'll have to go elsewhere in the zoo for lions but the new Asian Highlands exhibit does have tigers and bears.

Zoo Director Dennis Pate said, “The level of detail people see in this exhibit is greater than what we've done before.”

The new exhibit is nearly half a mile of new trail and has two animals from the Asian Highlands never before seen in Omaha.

“The beauty of the zoo is that you can come 10 times in a week and see something different every time.”

Mist for hot patrons and streams that run beside the trail combine to make the Asian Highlands picture perfect for summer. But Pate says the exhibit has been specially designed to stay open in cooler months too.

“We decided we were going to do a unique exhibit and once that featured animals that did well in cooler weather so that this will almost become a year round exhibit.”

Pictures and maps are displayed along the way keeping you on track to explore a piece of the Asian Highlands in Omaha.

Friday is also the last day you can see the cat complex. The zoo's next master plan is to demolish the exhibit and design a new exhibit in the coming year.