ASHEBORO, N.C. (ACME NEWS) — After more than four years of construction and $75.5 million in investment, the North Carolina Zoo’s Asia Continent is finished — but the lack of a state budget is keeping it closed.
The zoo says it needs approximately 70 full-time positions before Asia can operate safely — roles covering transportation, guest services and custodial staff, among others. Without a finalized state budget, those positions cannot be filled.
The N.C. Zoo had been targeting a June 2026 grand opening, complete with a VIP ribbon-cutting and sneak-peek tours for supporters. However, in early April, Acme News learned the zoo had quietly pushed back its target opening from June to September. Any official opening date will be announced through the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, which oversees the zoo.
“Construction of the Asia Continent is complete, most animals are settled in, and the North Carolina Zoo is eager to welcome visitors to this amazing new expansion,” said Diane Villa, interim director of the North Carolina Zoo and Botanical Gardens. “However, because of the state budget impasse, we are not able to hire the staff needed to safely open the Asia Continent. Once funding challenges are resolved, our team will work to open Asia as quickly as possible.”
The staffing hurdle has been years in the making. As far back as September 2023, the zoo was flagging its need for state-funded positions, requesting 100 slots for opening day. That number has since been refined to approximately 70, but the problem remains the same.
The Asia Continent represents the zoo’s first major expansion since its North America section opened in 1994. The 12.5-acre project broke ground in August 2022, following years of planning, fundraising and delays tied to the pandemic and inflation that pushed the original $65 million budget to $75 million. Funding came from two sources: $46 million from the state, approved by the General Assembly in November 2021, and $29.5 million raised by the N.C. Zoo Society through its capital campaign — contributions from approximately 2,700 donors, including a $2 million gift from the SECU Foundation.
Major construction wrapped in early 2025, and zoo staff spent the following months on horticultural planting, equipment installation and the themed elements that transform concrete buildings into animal habitats.
When open, Asia will feature tigers, white-cheeked gibbons, Komodo dragons, Chinese alligators, king cobras, Asian small-clawed otters, Visayan warty pigs, cinereous vultures and Chinese giant salamanders, among other species.
The delay is now drawing attention in Raleigh. State Sen. Michael Garrett told Fox8 that the zoo is one example of the stalemate’s broader consequences. “It’s really having an impact for every corner of the state,” Garrett said. “From Murphy to Manteo, we are letting our people down. The only job we have is to pass a budget. It is job number one.”
State Sen. David Craven, whose district includes the zoo, also weighed in. “Rep. Biggs and I have worked together to secure funding for the North Carolina Zoo,” Craven said. “I remain dedicated to ensuring it has the funds necessary to open the new exhibit and am hopeful we can resolve this during the short session.”
When open, Asia is expected to significantly increase zoo attendance —until lawmakers act, the tigers, Komodo dragons and gibbons of Asia will have to wait a little longer for their first visitors.
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