THE Johannesburg Zoo has begun an ambitious five-year upgrade to create a unique experience for visitors, recreating the diverse eco-zones of the planet.

SOON Joburg residents will be able to walk the spice route or explore the Amazon without even leaving the city.

The Johannesburg Zoo has embarked on an ambitious five-year plan to upgrade and renovate its facilities.

"We are not only going to rebuild the old buildings, there will also be new walkways, buildings and trees," says Johannesburg Zoo's CEO Jenny Gray.

Forest floor for the Amazonia section. A boardwalk has been completed and trees planted

While mammoth changes are planned, "some of the buildings will stay as they are" as part of the zoo's heritage, adds enrichment coordinator Mathew van Lierop.

The zoo is planning to create seven distinct zones - the Spice Route, Heart of Africa, Southern Safari, Extreme Environments, Amazonia, a farmyard and an entertainment area - bringing different parts of the world to Joburg.

Visitors will be able to follow a trail through the different zones, experiencing the great diversity of the planet, seeing the various animals in their special environments and hearing the calls of the wild.

"Visitors will truly experience all the environments in which these animals survive on our planet," says Van Lierop.

The Spice Route will trace the old trading routes between Africa and the east. Visitors to the zoo will be able to see animals from Madagascar, Arabia, India, Nepal and China.

The zoo already boasts the best collection of lemurs - tree-dwelling primates found only on the island of Madagascar - in any zoo in the world. The Arabian house will be home to the scymitar oryx, a medium sized antelope with long curved horns believed to be extinct in the wild, and other desert dwellers.

Proposal for redeveloping the zoo over five years, showing the different ecological zones. Features such as the monorail shown here are not included in the current phase.

(Click image for larger vesion)thick forests, populated with walk through the forests with the orang-utan - the only great ape found in Asia - and water buffaloes and black buck.

Amazonia will house the small primates and multicoloured birds indigenous to South America. Visitors will hear the sounds of monkeys echoing through the jungle, competing with the squawks of the parrots and guinea fowls.

As soon as the section is complete, says Grey, a large predator and other small animals from the Amazon basin will be introduced into the enclosures.

The largest zone by far is that of Southern Safari. It is here that South Africa's wildlife will be on display. There will be savannah grassland for the grazing animals and a predator playground for the carnivores.

The Anglo Gold lion enclosure will also form part of the experience. Gray, who has "visited many zoos in the world", says it is unlike any other.

Southern Safari will also be home to aardwolves, hyenas, bush babies, wild dogs and cheetahs.

The world of deserts - both icy and hot - is the theme for the Extreme Environments zone, home to the polar bears and penguins as well as the camels.

The zoo has already completed the first phase of the redevelopment: The Heart of Africa. The great apes, gorillas and chimpanzees, form the core of this zone, which is also home to the mandrill baboon, the bongo antelope, and the red river hog. A large array of birds can also be seen.

The ape houses - a firm favourite with visitors - have already been renovated, while a wooden walkway through the undergrowth creates a jungle atmosphere. "In a few months, the plants under the walkway will have grown and visitors will feel as if they are part of the African jungle," says Gray.

The ape houses

A second project is currently underway, work on creating the forest floor for the Amazonia section. "A boardwalk has been completed and trees were planted before the Christmas holidays," Gray adds.

In addition, a new restaurant is under construction in honour of Max, Johannesburg's well-known crime-fighting gorilla who died in 2004. The restaurant, to be built next to Max's last home, will be called The Max Factor.

Funding comes from sponsors like Friends of the Zoo, Canon, Photocats and Purple Rain as well as from the City of Johannesburg.

Under construction: the Max Factor restaurant, named in honour of Max, Johannesburg’s crime-fighting gorilla

Adds Gray: "We have started exchanging with other zoos and plan to ensure that each zone has a full range of creatures."

The zoo has eight new animals already, she says, adding that since the approval of the plans six months ago, the zoo has seen a great deal of work being done.