I'm actually really growing to like this complex as far as how they focused on the elephants' welfare as much as possible. Even if value engineering was employed as far as aesthetics, Forest Hall is genuinely one of the most progressive indoor elephant facilities out there, on par with Columbus, Cheyenne Mountain, Denver, etc. And at least they made the pool look pretty impressive as far as making it look like an actual body of water and not something artificially manufactured.
Side tangent: with all the videos they post of their youngest elephant Samudra underwater, you'd think the zoo would potentially invest in an underwater viewing area; perhaps the first in the country!
I liked Elephant Lands more the second time around and it currently houses 5 elephants (2.3). It's not great aesthetically, with Oregon Zoo really putting basic functionality ahead of appearances with so many exhibits, but it's very good for the elephants. The scratching rocks and deep piles of sand are great to see.
Probably one of the best zoo elephant exhibits in the country for both their indoor and outdoor exhibits not only for the elephants, but also for the public viewing!
