Monday, August 12 is World Elephant Day. Being from the Chicago area, elephants aren’t in our immediate vicinity. Both the Lincoln Park Zoo and Brookfield Zoo no longer have elephants. The reasons for this are varied, but both center around a sufficient habitat and the cost of food for these enormous animals. So we thought it would be fun to put together our ideal elephant exhibit, based on exhibits that we’ve seen in our zoo journeys!
Despite there being no elephants in Chicago, that doesn’t mean they aren’t in the Midwest. You can find elephants in Milwaukee, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Toledo, and Columbus. We drew from several of these exhibits for our ideal habitat, as we celebrate World Elephant Day.
Abundant Space
For us, a good elephant exhibit centers around space. The bigger the animal, the more space they need. Elephants enjoy roaming throughout the day so space is absolutely crucial. So for space, we reference Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo. This zoo has a very long stretch of land for the elephants to walk every day. It’s different than most elephant exhibits we’ve been to, as they are usually set up as a horizon, not a vertical stretch. Keepers explained that this approach, which the zoo created in 2016, is more similar to their natural surroundings.
Enrichment Items
One thing we hate seeing in zoos is exhibits that are just a plot of land with nothing else. Animals need stimulation, and in the wild that comes from their surroundings. The Milwaukee Zoo opened their “Adventure Africa” habitat in May of 2019. The elepahtn area is a very large space, with multiple enrichment items. In addition to a termite mound are multiple trees. The trees (visible in the pictures) can be used in multiple ways. The elephants can eat the leaves, or they can wear down the trunk of the tree with their tusks.
Beautiful Scenery
Some keepers have told us that one of the reasons elephants walk so much is that they get bored. They need visual stimulation in addition to hands-on opportunities. For scenery, we highlight Grant’s Farm in St. Louis. Despite the scenery, Grant’s Farm doesn’t have quite the space we would like to see. So we’d also like to call out the St. Louis Zoo. They have a longer space, similar to that of Omaha, as well as a waterfall.
Large Indoor Facility
Elephants will spend a majority of their time outdoors. However, it is necessary to have a large indoor space as well. If an elephant is sick or pregnant, having a large indoor space allows it to be close to members of the herd without being in small spaces. It also makes it easier for zoos in colder climates to showcase the elephants. For this we highlight the Columbus Zoo. Columbus is home to one of the largest elephant barns in the country.
Visitor Interaction
This section is obviously last on our list. The animals need to be at the forefront of a strong exhibit. If a zoo is able to accommodate visitor interaction while enhancing the experience for the animals, then we think that is awesome. So for visitor interaction we highlight the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. This zoo includes visitors in two different ways in their Elephant Crossing exhibit. If you arrive around 11am, then you’ll walk in to see keepers moving the elephants from one side of the exhibit to the other. They do this twice per day, and conduct a small training session during it. On one side of the exhibit, there is a feeding station where guests can put quarters into the machine and food will come out to the elephants on the other side.
Thanks for reading our elephant habitat article to celebrate World Elephant Day! Enjoy these pictures from other elephant exhibits.
© 2019, Zoo With Us. All rights reserved.