Preview Immersion Walkway

Besides seeing now if you can spot rhinos on the developing Watani Grasslands Reserve at the NC Zoo, due to hold its grand opening next spring, visitors are currently being invited to preview the new "Immersion Walkway" and the rest of the pathways of the pachyderms project, under construction.

Friday, I went out onto the Walkway for the first time. The Zoo's three elephants were near the Walkway and I had the thrill of looking UP at them.

The Immersion Walkway will allow visitors to see elephants to the right, as they enter, and rhinos, antelope, ostriches and more to their left. The Walkway also features a sculpted cheetah on a rock and giant ostrich eggs.

The paths also offer a full-sized bronze rhino and a hangar, inside of which is a helicopter to help educate visitors to the fact that we are losing the Earth's populations of elephants and rhinos and scientists are going to great lengths to try to stem the decline.

The framework of what will be a "tree" mister is already in place. Behind-scenes still are a range rover and huge elephant-scratching "tree", also destined for the Watani Grasslands Reserve.