An Exotic Theme Garden, complete with hieroglyphics and obelisk, tempts visitors to "walk like an Egyptian" among the plant and animal collections of the Memphis Zoo.

Cat Country... Primate Canyon... Anghor ruins... Hypostyle Court... the Cat House Cafe... Such names conjure up exotic images of glorious Africa and the Nile River. Visitors strolling down the new Avenue of the Animals at the Memphis Zoo experience the wonders of ancient Egypt while enjoying the comfort of a modern, user-friendly zoological garden. Design Consortium, Ltd.'s master plan for the Memphis Zoo doubled its acreage, removed all service functions from the guest experience, established ten new bioclimatic exhibit zones, and created a new, high-image entry complex that spans 4,000 years of lush landscape.

Entry pylons constituting an entrance to an Egyptian temple serve as a portal from local to global biome-- major ecological collections occupying a large area, like a rainforest-- communities. Landscape Architect Ace Torre, FASLA, worked with the Memphis State School of Egyptology to translate hieroglyphics, and affixed interpretive panels to the pylons. An Asian tiger explores the ruins of the ancient city of Anghor Wat amidst a mist-concealed waterfall and lagoon; a reflecting pond in the Hypostyle Court represents a piece of gold and lapis jewelry; and a metaphorical Nile River flows right through Nile Plaza.

The Landscape Architect utilized a menagerie of Egyptian research and graphic details to synchronize the lush landscape of this exotic theme garden. Photos by Ace Torre and Jack Kenner, provided courtesy of Design Consortium, Ltd.

A blanket of mist and waterfalls enshrouds the new lagoon, releasing exotic zoo-chemistry throughout the ancient ruins. Photo provided courtesy of Mee Industries.