Inside the plan to grow a huge rainforest in the Arizona desert

Talk about a desert oasis.Developers are plotting a nearly 93,000-square-foot indoor rainforest with free-flying birds, sloths, snakes and exotic plants — smack in the middle of Arizona’s scorching Sonoran Desert.Dubbed Paradise Earth, the four-story attraction is planned for 10.5 acres of Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community land near Scottsdale and is being billed by its creators as the largest indoor rainforest in North America.The elaborate wildlife exhibit would also house freshwater fish, two-toed sloths, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates, according to a conditional-use presentation submitted to tribal officials.Visitors would explore the climate-controlled jungle using pathways at three different heights, the forest floor, understory and canopy.The project’s promotional website promises close encounters with animal handlers carrying sloths, bird feedings from a wooden bridge and waterfowl swimming among lily pads as rainforest noises echo throughout the building.California's top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.

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Never miss a story Plans also call for a live aerial bird show, a children’s playground with climbing views and balance logs and an animatronic production called “Welcome to the Jungle.”A treehouse outlined with high-definition screens would create the illusion that the rainforest stretches for miles, while the entire atrium would transform into an electronic light-and-sound show after dark.Guests could even dine inside Roost, a restaurant designed to resemble a giant Victorian birdcase and offer views of the birds flying ‘outside.’The Arizona jungle also has a California imprint: The developer says the Los Angeles entertainment division of San Francisco-based architecture giant Gensler is helping design the project, while LA-based Entertain...