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Elephant Exhibit Expansion
Phase Two of our elephant expansion has
begun and is estimated to be completed by late
Spring 2011.During this time, guests will be redirected to walk along the reflection pool to reach the Elephant Habitat.
Phase Two will utilize the land that had been home to our giraffes and cheetah's to create a third elephant yard, extending the elephant property line all the way to the Brown Education Center!
Features include an unobstructed viewing area, a demonstration area and an 80,000 gallon pool! After seeing how much Baylor loves water, can you imagine seeing him getting in to a pool that size?
You can get an idea of how this will look from the rendering to the right. This expansion will more than triple the outdoor exhibit area for our elephants, giving them almost three acres of total exhibition and holding space.
The demonstration area, essentially the size of what had been the cheetah's home, will have bleachers on two sides, allowing guests to get much closer in a more intimate setting for Keeper Talks and other activities.
Phase One Completed in 2008
You may remember that on June 22, 2008, the Houston Zoo celebrated the completion of the first phase of the new and innovative elephant facility: the McNair Asian Elephant Habitat. The 7,000-square foot elephant barn, additional outdoor holding areas, and an improved viewing area was the first phase of a two-phase program to expand the elephant facility at the Zoo.
The new barn's features include improved keeper work areas and 18 to 24 inch deep sand floors in the elephant 'bedrooms'. In the words of the Zoo's Large Mammal Curator, Daryl Hoffman, "For our elephants it's like having deep plush carpeting." The barn is the first to feature these floors in the design and construction of the facility.
The west wall of the barn features four 8 by 8 foot sliding glass doors to permit Zoo guests the opportunity to see our keepers train and interact with the elephants while they are working inside the barn. Keepers can open the glass doors to conduct keeper chats and presentations for visitors.
To view the full story, read our press release.
