Imagine stepping into the pages of the Jungle Book story, not to encounter Baloo, the bear, or Bagerra, the leopard, but rather King Louie and his temple kingdom. This is your experience in the new Asian Forest expansion at Cameron Park Zoo. Beginning your journey at the Zoo’s original Sumatran tiger habitat, you will slowly be elevated into the mid-canopy level of the trees where you may catch a glimpse of a rare orangutan. As you continue along the raised pathway you will experience the roar of a waterfall as it gushes from a ruined temple aquifer. You will be able to look into the temple’s altar where the Komodo dragon rests among the roots of a strangler fig that has entwined itself throughout the building. Outside the Komodo dragon’s temple home there is an abandoned reflecting pool where koi fish swim in the flowing water.

Further along the path you will encounter the place where the strangler fig first took root. As you move under the temple canopy, you will discover a large glass viewing area where, gazing at the highly intelligent orangutans, you can ask the question of who is observing whom?

Moving away from the temple, a more playful area emerges. There is an opportunity for young and old to learn and experience some classic Asian culture symbols and to try and brachiate or move like an orangutan. If you are lucky, you may be fortunate enough to be honored by an orangutan baptism in our own unique splash zone.

Immersed in the beauty of the surroundings and the awesome presence of such magnificent creatures, it is our hope that visitors will gain a greater appreciation for the need for conservation efforts worldwide. In fact, like the Sumatran tiger, these two new species were chosen for the Asian expansion in order to highlight the main threats to their survival in the wild: habitat destruction and human encroachment. Komodo dragons are the world’s largest living species of lizard and orangutans are the largest arboreal (tree climbing) great ape. Both species live on only a few islands in Southeast Asia, which is why preventing habitat destruction is so important to their protection. Experts predict that if appropriate protection is not provided to their natural forests, the orangutan will be extinct within 10 years. All species in the Asian Forest exhibit are listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (ICUN) as either vulnerable or endangered.

Throughout the Asian Forest experience, visitors will have the ability to learn about our animals as individuals and the natural history of the species. You will also have the opportunity to learn how you and your lifestyle can either positively or negatively impact these wildly beautiful animals. You will be encouraged to take action and get involved in protecting all of our natural resources and endangered species.