The Philadelphia zoo sent its elephants to the International Conservation Center "temporarily." At least until officials decided spatial and monetary constraints outweighed the benefits of bringing their females back. The two Milwaukee girls could easily go to the ICC upon completion of its cow/calf barn at the end of this year... or the NEC.
loxodonta, do you think that Philadelphia will ever build another elephant exhibit? Do they even have room to build a modern elephant exhibit? They're new focus seems to be innovating trail systems for various species that they can't build expansive exhibits for, which is a great idea, but seems to go against building a huge exhibit as eles would require.
Likewise the Milwaukee Zoo seems very built up. Do they have space for a multi-acre ele exhibit?
The Philly zoo was planning a multi-acre & multi-species African Savanna which would include elephants (which they hoped could return with offspring but unfortunately they were deemed post-reproductive). The plan was scraped and it's now a exclusively hoofstock savanna.
loxodonta, do you think that Philadelphia will ever build another elephant exhibit? Do they even have room to build a modern elephant exhibit? They're new focus seems to be innovating trail systems for various species that they can't build expansive exhibits for, which is a great idea, but seems to go against building a huge exhibit as eles would require.
Likewise the Milwaukee Zoo seems very built up. Do they have space for a multi-acre ele exhibit?
For Milwaukee, there is a large forested area behind the "Special Exhibits" and Reptile buildings that seems like it could fit not only a good size and quality elephant exhibit, but a whole new African complex as well. (Ok, the latter was wishful thinking , but it would still be awesome if it could happen!) As stated before, I believe the Zoo should send its elephants away temporarily, so that they don't have to deal with the rush of building an exhibit by 2016 to meet the new AZA standards. Maybe after some other much needed projects are done (improved bear exhibits, new primate complex, etc.) and when the money is there the Zoo can try to bring back elephants.
This exhibit is now empty and the elephants have been moved to a new two-acre habitat opening this May. In the future, this exhibit will be destroyed and replaced by an extension of the black rhino habitat.
