AKRON, Ohio — You don't have to go too far to see some of Asia's most unique animals like Sumatran tigers, red pandas and white-cheeked gibbons. 

What You Need To Know

  • The Wild Asia exhibit is set to open at the Akron Zoo on May 29

  • Three different species of endangered animals now call Akron home

  • The zoo hopes to raise awareness about conservation efforts

The general public will be able to see them in person starting Saturday, May 29 at the Akron Zoo when it opens the Wild Asia area to the public. 

Elena Bell with the Akron Zoo explained that they have been working on this area since 2014.

“It was expected to originally open in summer of 2020, and the pandemic did delay that a year," Bell said. "We are so excited to finally be able to open to the public.” 

Each exhibit is set up so guests are able to get up close and personal with many of the animals.

While the zoo hopes guests have fun, they also want to educate the public about these animals. 

“When you come up close to an animal, you are building a connection you might not ever have had unless you were able to get up close to that tiger or to that red panda,” Bell said. 

All of the animals in Wild Asia are critically endangered and are facing habitat loss due to palm oil. 

"Palm oil is a product that is in everything, from your pop to your food to your beauty products," Bell explained. "What is really great is to come here to the Akron Zoo and learn about what palm oil is doing to destroy these habitats and how you can help from here in Ohio.” 

To learn more and see these animals in person, you can get tickets online at akronzoo.org.