When the plants arrived at the Zoo, they were dehydrated and barely alive. The horticulture staff soaked them in a warm sugar solution for an hour, then kept them on flats of bark under high humidity. Three months later, the 255 plants that survived were growing new roots and were placed into individual pots. Since they were not to be returned to the country of origin, they officially became part of the Zoo's orchid collection. There were three different species represented, which were eventually identified as Paphiopedilum wardii (seen here), an endangered orchid from northern Burma and southwestern China; Paphiopedilum tigrinum, a recently discovered species at the time found in China's Yunnan Province; and Paphiopedilum emersonii, a rare species also from Yunnan Province. Quite a spectacular addition to the Zoo's Orchid Greenhouse!