Maryland Zoo: Renovation, The African Elephants

The actual imperative for the entire renovation has a lot to do with the African Elephants.  As a member of the AZA, the zoo's accreditation depends on meeting standards for animal care.  The more we learn about the needs of animals, the more these standards evolve to reflect a standard of best practices.  When last up-graded, the African Elephant habitats met these standards; however, this improved standards, the zoo had slipped out compliance.  The renovation more than doubles, perhaps even triples the habitat space available to the zoo's herd.  Additional requirements include a minimum of 4 animals to preserve a minimal sense of socialization.  The Maryland Zoo is home to 4 African Elephants.

The long view of the largest new habitat space.  It included both a natural mud bath and a sand lot for dusting.  Two different ways African Elephants behave to keep cool.

The bull is Tuffy.  The two adult females are Anna and Felix.  Samson is the adolescent male and offspring of Tuffy and Felix born at the Maryland Zoo in 2008.  On this occasion Tuffy and Felix were out enjoying their dinners suspended from their new feeding nets to their apparent enjoyment.  In the wild, African Elephants will routinely feed on the tender shoots and branches of trees in this fashion.

 One of the interesting aspects of the design are a series of winding paths and elevated boardwalks and decks offering many different angles from which to view the elephants.  Many beautiful placards provide a wide range of information about the lives of African Elephants, as well.

 Tuffy looking magnificent and content.  Don't let the splayed ears fool you, he's simply flapping them to keep cool.

 Observed from a different angle.

 

 

 Going around the far end of the habitats on a winding boardwalk, and you have a view of the fourth habitat which is still under renovation.  You can also see how the elephant's barn is being expanded.  One benefit of this expansion of barn and habitats is the potential for increasing the size of the herd.

Looking down from the upper deck, Felix is also feeding.

 For a better view, I moved down to a lower deck.

 Yet another vantage point.