BATON ROUGE - Three years of construction at BREC's Baton Rouge Zoo is supposed to wrap up in the new year.

The project is improving exhibits, adding hands-on experiences with giraffes and add a railroad around the zoo. 

Zoo director Jim Fleshman says there is still a lot to do before the reopening. 

"We're waiting for grass to grow, then of course the new entrance and parking lot, entry plaza, orientation plaza are following right behind," Fleshman said. "We're pretty much on schedule."

The recent drought across Louisiana affected the plants at the zoo; grass and trees can't seem to grow. Fleshman said rain water is the best treatment for the grass. 

"Weather's got to be right, grass has to be there. Everyone kind of laughs at you watching grass grow. It's true. You can't put animals out without grass - it wouldn't look good," he said.

Fortunately, the animals are being fed by zoo keepers and are not reliant on plants in their habitats for food. 

"Some of the trees you can see are having weakness in them, and we've had several die that we're going to have to end up having to take down at some point," Fleshman added.

The next phase of construction likely won't get started immediately, but Fleshman says they're already preparing. 

"We have the ability to finish African lion and some other supportive animals. Hopefully gorillas will be in that change. And then we have the third phase which is the Atchafalaya, which we can really highlight the Atchafalaya area and the basin, and all the things that go on with it," he said.