Best Elephant Exhibits in the USA
Which San Diego exhibit are you referring to? I do think that 3 elephant exhibits I’ve seen here in Cali are all good for different reasons.
Elephants of Asia at the Los Angeles Zoo: home to 4 elephants, split into 4 yards and a barn. Each yard is different in design and enrichment. Could facilitate a larger herd but don’t think the LA Zoo will be doing that for a long time. Placed strategically near the center of the zoo so the elephant are literally the heart of the zoo. One of my favorite and best exhibits I’ve seen.
Elephant Odyssey at the San Diego Zoo: part of a complex themed with to Southern California 10’000 years ago in mind. Although the utilitrees aren’t naturalistic looking, they serve a good purpose for enrichment and feeding. I always see the elephants using them and it was built with elderly elephants being the reason for its design.
Elephant Valley at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park: perhaps my favorite elephant and the best I’ve seen, mostly due to the herd dynamics and seeing a herd of elephants together of all ages. It’s split into 2 large yards with large pools for their elephants to dip in. They seem to be very successful at breeding African elephants as well. And there is plans for a re-imagining of Elephant Valley may further solidify their work with their elephants.
Elephants of Asia at the Los Angeles Zoo: home to 4 elephants, split into 4 yards and a barn. Each yard is different in design and enrichment. Could facilitate a larger herd but don’t think the LA Zoo will be doing that for a long time. Placed strategically near the center of the zoo so the elephant are literally the heart of the zoo. One of my favorite and best exhibits I’ve seen.
Elephant Odyssey at the San Diego Zoo: part of a complex themed with to Southern California 10’000 years ago in mind. Although the utilitrees aren’t naturalistic looking, they serve a good purpose for enrichment and feeding. I always see the elephants using them and it was built with elderly elephants being the reason for its design.
Elephant Valley at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park: perhaps my favorite elephant and the best I’ve seen, mostly due to the herd dynamics and seeing a herd of elephants together of all ages. It’s split into 2 large yards with large pools for their elephants to dip in. They seem to be very successful at breeding African elephants as well. And there is plans for a re-imagining of Elephant Valley may further solidify their work with their elephants.
ChIkEn NuGrEt
Well-Known Member
For me personally, I have to wait for the Fort Worth Zoo to open Elephant Springs and see the new enclosure first.
I agree that I like Elephants of Asia at Los Angeles but it does need a few aesthetic changes
I also like the Smithsonian Zoos Elephant Exhibit, the bridge is a great way to get a full view of the elephants
St. Louis also has a good herd dynamic and a good group of exhibits
I don't really like San Diego Zoo Safari Parks because it's outdated and the viewing opportunities aren't great but it sounds like that should be changed soon.
I also like the Smithsonian Zoos Elephant Exhibit, the bridge is a great way to get a full view of the elephants
St. Louis also has a good herd dynamic and a good group of exhibits
I don't really like San Diego Zoo Safari Parks because it's outdated and the viewing opportunities aren't great but it sounds like that should be changed soon.
Some of the ones that I like are Sedgwick County, Cleveland, Oregon, Dallas, Los Angeles, and San Diego.
Roger Williams' ladies are my home elephants, and I'm really confused at what "fantastic care" they have that isn't standard practice in the AZA. There Exhibit isn't bad, but it's definitely not something to brag about. Have you seen the elephant Exhibits at National Zoo, Dallas, Houston, OKC, DAK, Cleveland, Los Angeles, and/or San Diego? All of these zoos, some of which I've seen some of which I haven't, have elephant exhibits in a whole different league as Roger Williams- plus equally good "care"
Ive talked to the keepers their before and they truly care about the elephants and how happy they are
Zooplantman
Well-Known Member
Have you seen these? What is it about each that makes you rate them so highly?
(I like to understand how people evaluate exhibits)
With all due respect, I don't think that caring about the elephants is something that stands out about Roger Williams. I've talked with Buttonwood's keepers once and they also really care about their elephants- and I wouldn't call their habitat one of the best, far from it. Every zoo professional I've met cares deeply about every animal in their collection, from the smallest gecko to the largest elephant. There is nothing about Roger Williams' animal care or exhibitry that sets it above any other zoo mentioned in the thread.
For me, naturality is a key component of an exhibit. This would be why I am personally not a fan of San Diego's exhibit. For African Elephants, I would rank Birmingham, Cleveland, DAK, Dallas, Fresno, North Carolina, Omaha, and Wichita at the top. Atlanta, Indianapolis, and Tucson coming in close seconds. There are not as many 'natural' Asian Elephant exhibits, but some of my favorites are Denver, Fort Worth(what I've seen of Elephant Springs), Houston, OKC, Oregon, Saint Louis, and the Smithsonian.
Of the elephant exhibits I've seen, in terms of African elephants I would highly rank Disney's Animal Kingdom, North Carolina, Miami and San Diego Zoo Safari Park. All take a highly naturalistic approach (San Diego Zoo Safari Park doesn't necessarily reflect the natural ecosystem of African elephants given a massive stand of eucalyptus trees), but the former three have differing takes on immersion, particularly in East Africa. In terms of Asian elephants, I would say Bronx and Miami are tied as the best I've seen, alongside San Diego's Elephant Odyssey. Bronx and Miami win in terms of naturalism, San Diego wins in terms of having purpose-built facilities for aging elephants. (I still think San Diego should switch to a bachelor herd of elephants and mix all of the hoofstock in with the elephants as per the original plan).
The best that I've personally seen is Omaha's and SDSP's. Omaha's is an impressive size, there's plenty of room to roam, and they have a large roomy barn. Not to mention they are occasionally mixed with impala and zebras. SDSP's is probably better though because of the climate. It's very roomy as well, not to mention the spectacular views it has.
ok thats fair
I think that indianapolis has got to be one of the best. Right?
I agree. I dont understand why bronx gets so much hate for their elephants
the only one here that I have been to is San diego. I have heard a lot of good things about St. Louis, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland. All three of these facilities have very large exhibits and two of them are fairly new(Pittsburgh,Cleveland)
Zooplantman
Well-Known Member
So it is size you are responding to?
Or newness?
What have you heard about these exhibits that makes you declare they are the best? What does The Best even mean?