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Zoo's $73 million African Grasslands exhibit to open to public Friday

It is the Henry Doorly Zoo's largest project to date.
It is the Henry Doorly Zoo's largest project to date.
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Zoo's $73 million African Grasslands exhibit to open to public Friday
The brand-new, $73 million African Grasslands exhibit at the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium is finally ready for the public.KETV NewsWatch 7 was there Thursday as the final touches were put on the exhibit, which is scheduled to officially open on Friday morning.The exhibit is the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium's largest project to date and has been in the works for six years."They're not going to see complete mixed exhibits early on, because we need to take a little time to get them in," Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium CEO Dennis Pate said.It takes different animals different amounts of time to adjust, Pate said.   The weather over the next couple of days will be a factor in how many species will be out in their exhibits."If it's too muddy for them, I may not let them out, even though I'd love to," Pate said.The public will still have plenty to see, including new animals like the klipspringer and the crested guinea fowl. Skyfari riders will get a bird's-eye view of the newly landscaped areas.Unfinished details left in the lion exhibit are visible, as is the case for a lot of the African Grasslands section.

The brand-new, $73 million African Grasslands exhibit at the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium is finally ready for the public.

[Video: Zoo's $73 million African Grasslands exhibit to open to public Friday]

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KETV NewsWatch 7 was there Thursday as the final touches were put on the exhibit, which is scheduled to officially open on Friday morning.

The exhibit is the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium's largest project to date and has been in the works for six years.

"They're not going to see complete mixed exhibits early on, because we need to take a little time to get them in," Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium CEO Dennis Pate said.

It takes different animals different amounts of time to adjust, Pate said.   

The weather over the next couple of days will be a factor in how many species will be out in their exhibits.

"If it's too muddy for them, I may not let them out, even though I'd love to," Pate said.

The public will still have plenty to see, including new animals like the klipspringer and the crested guinea fowl. Skyfari riders will get a bird's-eye view of the newly landscaped areas.

Unfinished details left in the lion exhibit are visible, as is the case for a lot of the African Grasslands section.