Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Elephants arrive in Columbus

Apparently when they started earthwork they hit some pretty thick rocks that has slowed them considerably but I think the start date of Spring 2011 is still what they are saying.

Here are the dimensions for the three yards :
Yard 1: 1/4 acre
Yard 2: 1/2 acre
Yard 3: Just under 1 acre
I haven't heard anything on the size of the building however and in these early stages the sizes could change.
 
The quarter acre yard is just going to be a night yard where they will go in yard. Where did you get this information from, as I thought the two main yards were going to both be 1 acre, and if you look at the plans, they are both similar in size??
 
In case anyone was wondering what Cleveland's old elephant exhibit looked like, here it is:

[ame="http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulakoala/3327270842/"]African Elephants Moshi, Jo and Martika on Flickr - Photo Sharing!@@AMEPARAM@@http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3355/3327270842_4db4d64142.jpg?v=0@@AMEPARAM@@3327270842@@AMEPARAM@@4db4d64142[/ame]
 
Here is an update of the Cleveland Elephants living at the Colombus Zoo:

 
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It will definitely be a very nice facility and a big upgrade from what it was but I don't think it's the multi-acre complex everyone was hoping for. But for the given space the exhibit is extremely well done.
 
ColumbusZoo001 said:
It will definitely be a very nice facility and a big upgrade from what it was but I don't think it's the multi-acre complex everyone was hoping for. But for the given space the exhibit is extremely well done.
Click to expand...

Who exactly do you mean by "everyone"? It's going to be at least 2 acres. I don't understand why everyone seems to think an elephant exhibit has to 4-7 acres for it to be the best. I personally am not that fond of North Carolina's exhibit, and much prefer Nashville's which is half the size.

Our exhibit here was never going to be 5 acres anyways. The plans have mainly stayed the same, except the Mopani Range was going to include a pool, which now it's not. That's a good thing, as there are already two pools incorporated into the Savanna Range, making a third one kind of pointless.

Just to point out, most elephant exhibits being built are around the same size. Denver's will be 2.2 acres, but also shared with tapirs and rhinos, yet that exhibit's plans have been consistently praised on zoochat. I personally think a great elephant exhibit does not need to be any larger than 1.5 acres. If it is that's great, but it's not really necessary.
 
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I apologize if I offended you, I had no intention of that. And you are correct an exhibit can be excellent, regardless of size. I just think more of the four acres the site sits on could be dedicated to elephants. Personally, I would prefer a larger yard than two smaller ones but that's just my opinion. This exhibit will allow a more "intimate" and up, close, and personal experience than say the North Carolina exhibit.

Here are the exhibit dimensions (from the Cleveland Keepers)
Mopani Range - 40,000 sq. ft.
Savanna Habitat - 20,000 sq. ft.
Night Yard - 10,000 sq. ft.
Elephant Building - 18,000 sq. ft.

I am very proud of the exhibit designers when it comes to the barn because it is a huge upgrade from the previous building and will hopefully allow Cleveland to start a breeding program, or at least house more elephants.

@BlackRhino - do you know what species are going in the Aviary?
 
ColumbusZoo001 said:
I apologize if I offended you, I had no intention of that. And you are correct an exhibit can be excellent, regardless of size. I just think more of the four acres the site sits on could be dedicated to elephants. Personally, I would prefer a larger yard than two smaller ones but that's just my opinion. This exhibit will allow a more "intimate" and up, close, and personal experience than say the North Carolina exhibit.

Here are the exhibit dimensions (from the Cleveland Keepers)
Mopani Range - 40,000 sq. ft.
Savanna Habitat - 20,000 sq. ft.
Night Yard - 10,000 sq. ft.
Elephant Building - 18,000 sq. ft.

I am very proud of the exhibit designers when it comes to the barn because it is a huge upgrade from the previous building and will hopefully allow Cleveland to start a breeding program, or at least house more elephants.

@BlackRhino - do you know what species are going in the Aviary?
Click to expand...

According to the director, the two yards will be an acre in size, and clearly from the plans the Savanna Range is not half the size of the Mopani Range. Our director, Steve Taylor, is extremely excited about this project and he LOVES elephants. I would definitely go off of his words, over the two keepers who are down in Columbus. The design of the exhibit pretty much is the maximum amount of space the zoo could possibly give to the elephants. The only way they could have had more is if they got rid of the village part, but that is a vital part of the visitor experience, and thus if that were gone there would be no way for visitors to view the indoor area.

Personally, I feel it is MUCH better for a zoo to have several smaller yards than one large one. If they do have one large one they should at least be able to break it up into smaller yards if necessary. The advantage to having several smaller yards is for one it reduces the elephants impact on the land. If necessary, grass can be grown back, and the elephants can still be in another exhibit. With one large yard, once the grass is gone, its gone for good unless the elephants are not allowed out for a few weeks while the grass grows back. Look at Miami, each yard is around 23,000 square feet and the yards are some of the most lush around. Seattle has been able to stay green because their 1.5 acre yard can be broken up, and they have told me they grow grass back in parts of the exhibit. Another advantage is, it makes elephant introductions so much easier, rather than rotating them in and out.

I personally think our new exhibit will be one of the best once it opens. It will provide an intimate visitor experience with excellent living conditions for the elephants. I don't think it's just an improvement over their old home, but an awesome attempt at a brilliant aesthetically pleasing exhibit.

As for the aviary part, I am in to birds just about as much as your typical American is in to zoos, so in all honesty I have no clue what species will be kept in the aviary.
 
Does the new enclosure at Cleveland have facilities for an adult bull?

I don`t agree that 1,5 acres is great for a large family group (multi-generation-family) and a breeding bull (who may need to live seperately at least sometimes), but the females at Cleveland are probably too old for breeding anyway.
 
We are not getting a bull right away. Are three females are too old to breed. Martika isn't as of now, but by the time we would get a bull she would be. We have:

Jo (44 years old)
Moshi (33 years old)
Martike (24 years old)

The exhibit is going to be a little over 2 acres, not 1.5. It will have three yards. A Mopani Range featuring trees and mud holes, A Savanna Range featuring pools and opening areas, and a Night Range which will be heated in the cold weather. We are not going to get a bull right away. at first it will probably be just our three girls.
 
Everyone is allowed to believe what they want, but BlackRhino, I'm telling you my dimensions are correct. You can e-mail the construction company or the zoo to verify. Visitors don't care about specific dimensions so of course your director said the yards would be an acre each, he said it in generalization.
 
Then the plans must be way off because the Savanna range clearly does not look half the size of the Mopani. Does it to you?
 
I rounded that figure. I heard Mopani was "a little over 3/4 of an acre" which it looks like to me. And if the green space on the plans is the four acres the exhibit sits on then to me it looks very proportional.
 
It's a 5 acre site, and from the view from the wide path on the left side of the plans to the building is quite far. The outline of the fencing is in place, and the yards both look extremely massive. Either way I think it will be the best elephant habitat in the Midwest, better than Columbus.
 
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