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A child looks at an African lion through a glass window on June 22. The Predators of Asia & Africa exhibit hosted its grand opening June 22 at the Fort Worth Zoo. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report)

Hundreds gathered to see the reopening of the Predators of Asia & Africa exhibit June 22 at the Fort Worth Zoo. Guests can now learn about and enjoy the sights of African lions, clouded leopards, African-painted dogs, a Sumatran tiger and more wild predators in the third phase of the $130-million A Wilder Vision campaign.

Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker congratulated Fort Worth Zoo staff at the June 22 grand opening and called the zoo “one of the most important public-private partnerships in the city’s history.”

People from around the world visit the Fort Worth Zoo, Parker said.

The Fort Worth Zoo’s A Wilder Vision campaign focuses on the conservation of endangered species and “guarantees for generations the survival of certain species that may in our lifetime become extinct in the wild,” Councilmember Elizabeth Beck said.

A Wilder Vision began nearly a decade ago in 2016. The last lions left in 2020 before construction on the new exhibit began, a spokesperson for the Fort Worth Zoo said.

The campaign’s first phase, African Savanna, opened in 2018. The second installment, Elephant Springs, opened in 2021 and welcomed a baby Asian elephant named Travis in February and Brazos in late 2021. The final phase will be Forests & Jungles of the World and will feature jaguars and Sumatran orangutans, according to a Fort Worth Zoo press release.

An African lion walks over a stone bridge inside the new Predators of Asia & Africa exhibit at the Fort Worth Zoo. The new exhibit opened June 22 and features lions, cheetahs, leopards, African painted dogs, a Sumatran tiger and hyenas. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report)
A Sumatran tiger peeks over a boulder inside its enclosure on June 22 during the grand opening of the Predators of Asia & Africa at the Fort Worth Zoo. The wild Sumatran tiger population is somewhere between 400 and 600, according to the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report)
A cheetah lies in the sun on June 22 at the Fort Worth Zoo. Cheetahs’ lifespan in the wild is 10 to 12 years, according to the Cheetah Conservation Fund, while in captivity, they can live from 17 to 20 years. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report)
A male African leopard stares into the camera on June 22 at the Fort Worth Zoo. According to Humane Society International, an accurate population estimate for African leopards is not available, but it is believed its population is decreasing with the biggest threats being reduced prey base, game farming and poorly managed game trophy hunting. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report)
A clouded leopard looks at guests on June 22 at the grand opening of the Predators of Asia & Africa exhibits at the Fort Worth Zoo. The exhibit is a part of the $130 million A Wilder Vision campaign that is focused on the conservation of endangered animals. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report)

Cristian ArguetaSoto is the community engagement journalist at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him by email or via Twitter. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.

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Cristian is a May 2021 graduate of Texas Christian University. At TCU, ArguetaSoto served as staff photographer at TCU360 and later as its visual editor, overseeing other photojournalists. A Fort Worth...