The North Carolina Zoo is bringing another corner of the world to Randolph County.

The zoo broke ground Aug. 17 on its new 10-acre Asia Continent expansion, which is expected to open in 2026. The Asian habitat will join the other two continental habitats long established at the family attraction, featuring African and North American flora and fauna.

The latest project is the N.C. Zoo's first major expansion since its opening in 1994 and will be home to, among others, tigers, Komodo dragons, alligators, Visayan warty pigs and Asian small-clawed otters, in addition to red-crowned cranes, wrinkled hornbills, king cobras, white-cheeked gibbons and Chinese giant salamanders.

Located in the city of Asheboro, the Asia Continent in central North Carolina is just a small part of 2,600 acres of land at the park — 500 acres of which are developed. The N.C. Zoo also ranks as the world's largest natural habitat attraction and cares for more than 1,700 animals and 52,000 plants.

Included with the new habitat will be a gift shop, a 300-seat indoor café overlooking the tiger living space and an overhead tiger walk. It is being funded through a combination of state grants and private donors.

The state legislature signed off on $75 million in funding for the project last November.

"We really wanted to bring in tigers, because that's something our public has asked after for the longest time, and we looked and said, ‘How can we make that happen for them?'" Pat Simmons, CEO, and director of the N. C. Zoo told WGHP-TV in High Point.

The expansion also will include classrooms and areas to allow visitors to safely get up close to some of the animals. Zoo employees believe that the habitat's design provides guests with an opportunity for guests to learn more about conservation.

"The most exciting animal is the warty pig," explained Jennifer Ireland, a mammal curator. "This is a critically endangered animal from the southeastern areas of Asia, and there are few left in the wild, so this is going to be a very important conservation species for us."

She is one of 225 full-time workers at the park, which expands to 400 in the high season.

According to Ireland, they are ready to take on more with the expansion.

Zoo Leaders Want it To Be Destination Stop

The N.C. Zoo also is an important economic driver of the region.

State Sen. David Craven, R-Asheboro, told WGHP-TV that, "$184 million in economic activity and investment come from this zoo on an annual basis."

Randolph County commissioners said at the groundbreaking that they are exploring ideas of putting a convention center and a hotel on the zoo's site, while the park's leaders noted it is their dream to make the zoo a multiple-day destination.

"Maybe you get up from your hotel room in the morning, you hike, and you see the zoo," Simmons said, "and then you check out the tigers, [before going back and having] something to eat. It makes it more of an adventure and a close vacation for families."

In July, the park announced a record-breaking one million visitors in the year ending June 30.

Included in the $75 million for the Asia Continent are funds to start planning the N.C. Zoo's next two expansions to bring in animals native to the Amazon and Australia.

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