African Okavango Delta Exhibit

A glimpse of Botswana in the middle of Norfolk On a grand scale, Virginia Zoo's new African exhibit recreates the Okavango Delta of Botswana in downtown Norfolk. Rather than standing on the outside looking in, visitors are immersed in the landscape, culture, and wildlife vistas of the Okavango Delta. Plantings selected for this area must look like their African counterparts while being tough and safe. Sounds easy enough, but what can be grown under or around elephants? Rhinos plough up their yard with their horns while the zebras eat the remaining blades of grass. Is a plant native to Virginia toxic to a Masai giraffe? Can poisonous flower seeds fall from a planter into an exhibit and be eaten by a four-legged vacuum cleaner? The plantings and maintenance of the Okavango Delta exhibit are our greatest horticultural challenge, yet. Zebras graze... while ostriches roam.