Cincinnati Zoo hoping for elephant infants as habitat grows 5 occasions bigger

Cincinnati Zoo officials called it “the biggest project we’ve ever done,” and on Monday released detailed plans for an ambitious new habitat for elephants Million More Home to Roam capital campaign. The elephant portion of the project is the most ambitious, zoo officials said, creating a complex habitat for a herd of several generations to explore. “You will have a huge space and we hope to add more elephants to the herd. We’re hoping to have babies sometime, so we’ll let this intergenerational herd of eight to ten elephants roam around this beautiful natural habitat, “said Michelle Curley, the zoo’s communications director. Expansion has always been a challenge for the inland zoo as it is in In order to create more space, the new elephant habitat will take over the existing safari parking lot. Curley said the newest habitat will be five times larger than the current one. “We are committed to elephants. They become a part Future generations of zoo visitors will be able to see these amazing creatures, “she said. The zoo has really studied its current elephant population and studied their movements and behaviors for years. The new habitat was built specifically for the elephants, she said with consideration their social, emotional and k physical needs. “It will really be a fantastic place for the elephants. We did a lot of research and study into how they used the space they have, ”said Curley. “We’ve attached something like an elephant-sized Fitbit to them to see where they’re going and how we can get them there, using more of the space they currently have. We’re building some of those things into the habitat. ”The new habitat will also be echo-friendly, which fits in with Cincinnati’s current title of” America’s Greenest Zoo. ” “We will have a million gallons of water stored under the habitat in rainwater retention basins. Every bit of water we use in the habitat will come from these tanks. There are all kinds of sustainability attributes built in like this, ”Curley said. People were also included in the plans. Zoo visitors will enjoy watching the elephant herd roam through their 4 hectare habitat from a shady pavilion or have a snack on the terrace of a new café. A large part of the More Home to Roam campaign also included adding a new entrance to better allow people to flow through its premises. A timetable for the completion of the project has not been published.

CINCINNATI –

Cincinnati Zoo officials called it “the biggest project we’ve ever done,” and detailed plans for an ambitious new habitat for elephants on Monday.

The groundbreaking ceremony for a huge new elephant habitat will take place on Tuesday morning, one of the final stages of the zoo’s $ 150 million More Home to Roam campaign.

The elephant portion of the project is the most ambitious, zoo officials said, creating a complex habitat for a multigenerational herd.

The plans for Cincinnati’s new habitat include natural features such as trees, mud swamps, grasses, ponds, streams, and plenty of space for the elephants to explore.

“You will have a huge space and we hope to add more elephants to the herd. We’re hoping to have babies someday, so we’re going to let this intergenerational herd of eight to ten elephants roam this beautiful natural habitat, “said Michelle Curley, the zoo’s communications director.

Expansion has always been a challenge for the inland zoo as it is located in a populous part of the city. To create more space, the new elephant habitat will take over the existing safari parking lot.

Curley said the newest habitat will be five times the size of the current one.

“We are committed to elephants. You will be part of our future. Future generations of zoo visitors will see these amazing creatures, ”she said.

The zoo has really studied its current elephant population and spent years researching their movements and behaviors. The new habitat was built specifically for the elephants, she said, taking into account their social, emotional and physical needs.

“It will really be a fantastic place for the elephants. We did a lot of research and study into how they used the space they have, ”said Curley. “We’ve attached something like an elephant-sized Fitbit to them to see where they’re going and how we can get them there, using more of the space they currently have. We build some of these things into the living space. “

The new habitat will also be echo-friendly and match Cincinnati’s current title of “America’s Greenest Zoo”.

“We will have a million gallons of water stored under the habitat in rainwater retention basins. Every bit of water we use in the habitat will come from these tanks. There are all kinds of sustainability attributes built in like this, ”Curley said.

People were also included in the plans. Zoo visitors will enjoy watching the elephant herd roam through their 4 hectare habitat from a shady pavilion or have a snack on the terrace of a new café.

A large part of the More Home to Roam campaign also included adding a new entrance to ease the flow of people through the site.

A timetable for the completion of the project has not been published.