BATON ROUGE - Crews were busy Friday using power hoses and fixing up walkways in preparation for the new giraffe exhibit that is currently being built at the Baton Rouge Zoo.

Zoo Director Jim Fleshman says the exhibit has come a long way in just a few years.

"I think in three years, it will be fantastic," Fleshman said.

Right now, it looks like a dirt alongside a building, walkway and gazebo. However, Fleshman says there's a big vision that will be realized when the work is done.

"We're trying to make the exhibit as real life as possible, so when people come here, it will look like an African Exhibit," Fleshman said.

Alongside the giraffes, the zoo is adding Thomson's gazelles and large birds such as secretary birds to add to the scene.

The hope is that people can watch the exhibit on the walkway and hand feed the giraffes. Fleshman's confident in the exhibit being a great addition to the zoo.

"I think it's important that Baton Rouge has a zoo that is top of the line, and it hasn't for a while," Fleshman said. "We have been struggling, and we want to get it back and this is how we plan to go about it."