San Diego Zoo Elephant Odyssey opens May 23

Ituri said:
There are no immediate plans for establishing a new group of Asian elephants (at least none they'd dare make public)

The old Elephant Mesa is being converted to an African savannah with giraffes (who already live on Elephant Mesa now), white rhinos, antelope, birds, crocodiles and baboons (or patas).
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Any timeline on that?
 
BlackRhino said:
The Asian Elephant exhibit at the WAP is being combined with the African one to create a 6 acre African Elephant habitat. They will need the space as they have a herd of 12 African Elephants with more on the way.

The lions moving to Elephant Odyssey, I believe are lions from the WAP. The lions that inhabit bear canyon (Mweezi and Tango) will remain there as they are too old to move. I am not 100% positive on the lions, but pretty sure.
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The lions moving to SDZ are Mbari and Etosha, a non-breeding pair of african lions who currently live off-exhibit at SDWAP. They will for sure not be breeding as Etosha has had complications with giving birth/raising cubs.
 
mstickmanp said:
So is the zoo going to have regular Pronghorns or Peninsular Pronghorns? Also, in the article it mentions that 30 species will be exhibited in the EO, does anybody know all of the species that will be exhibited?
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The pronghorn at Elephant Oddesey will be Peninsular Pronghorn. Actually, I bet they'll probably be from Los Angeles Zoo

Ituri, you posted that so fast, lol. I was just finishing my first post when you posted that. Good to hear the transfer went well. Now I just hope both herds get on well

Also, just a question. Wasn't the zoo going to exhibit sloth bear or spectacled bear in Elephant Oddesey for an imitation of short-faced bear?
 
Is there anyone who is planning on going to the zoo once the exhibit opens?
 
I wouldn't be so sure about them being peninsula pronghorn. All of the recent literature has dropped the "peninsula" whenever they speak of pronghorn. I wouldn't be surprised to see them be American pronghorn.
 
Ituri said:
I wouldn't be so sure about them being peninsula pronghorn. All of the recent literature has dropped the "peninsula" whenever they speak of pronghorn. I wouldn't be surprised to see them be American pronghorn.
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I agree, especially if they are allowing the pronghorns access into the elephant exhibit.
 
Ituri said:
Not that I could find. I had to dig pretty deep to come up with the information that I posted.
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Thanks, sounds like a good idea. Do you know if this is a major project or if they'll basically re-tool what they already have setup in that section?
 
mweb08 said:
Thanks, sounds like a good idea. Do you know if this is a major project or if they'll basically re-tool what they already have setup in that section?
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It looks like it should be a major reconstruction, but I can't say for certain.
 
Here is a video of the elephants exploring their new exhibit for the first time.

 
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Thanks for sharing the video Mario. This year San Diego, next year our own LA Zoo's Pachyderm Forest. Nice to see the newly enlarged Elephant exhibits opening everywhere, after all the protests and fuss.
 
Looks like a great exhibit! The elephants look like they enjoy it too.
 
I agree the pool is awesome as is the habitat as a whole, and my only complaint is that they could have covered the enclosure with grass. It would have eventually deteriorated anyway, and I am sure the sandy ground of the enclosure is easy on the feet of all the aging elephants that will call the exhibit home. It looks like the exhibit has plenty of enrichment, and I think the utili-trees (you can see one in the background) are a brilliant innovative idea to stimulate browsing for the elephants.
 
Thanks for the video. The exhibit looks a bit disappointing, though, in that it's not very naturalistic. I mean the size is great, but it's just a dirt lot with metal "utilitrees" that look nothing like real trees and a building with no attempt to camouflage it. For a zoo as innovative as San Diego and a budget as huge as $42 million, couldn't they have done something unique to create a naturalistic exhibit. In this age of advanced zoo design, isn't this a step backwards?
 
Arizona Docent said:
Thanks for the video. The exhibit looks a bit disappointing, though, in that it's not very naturalistic. I mean the size is great, but it's just a dirt lot with metal "utilitrees" that look nothing like real trees and a building with no attempt to camouflage it. For a zoo as innovative as San Diego and a budget as huge as $42 million, couldn't they have done something unique to create a naturalistic exhibit. In this age of advanced zoo design, isn't this a step backwards?
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Amen

But then I've anticipated an underwhelming product since seeing the original plans.

Big is not enough....
 
why is everyone so against the utili-trees? They are one of the most innovative concepts for an elephant exhibit I have ever seen. Sure, their ugly, but they are so useful to the elephants, and the whole goal of the exhibit was more so to keep these elephants active than immerse you in an Asian forest.
 
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