So I visited the Dallas-Fort Worth area just about 2 weeks ago. While in the area I visited the Fort Worth Zoo, Dallas Zoo, Dallas World Aquarium, and the Cameron Park Zoo. I hope to write and publish reviews of these zoos in the coming weeks. I am gonna start this review with a focus on Elephant Springs, the new Asian elephant exhibit that opened just a few weeks ago.
Elephant Springs:
Elephant Springs is the brand new complex for Asian Elephants and Indian rhinoceros at the Fort Worth Zoo. The site it occupies was previously home to the zoos elephants, rhino (black and indian), giraffe, and hippo. A few years back the zoo had the opportunity to expand into 5 acres of adjacent parkland. This expansion enabled the zoo to build its new african area, which I will discuss later. Once this expansion was complete the zoo began the phased work of elephant springs, which was completed while all 7 elephants were on site. The resulting complex is simply put, wonderful. I had my doubts about Elephant Springs, when I saw the plans for the exhibit. Yet having spent nearly 2 hours in the complex over 2 days, my concerns were largely alleviated.
Below you can see an exhibit plan that was posted along the viewing boardwalk. The exhibit has 2 on-exhibit spaces and behind them are 4 off-exhibit spaces. I was told this was important in the management of the current group, which has 4 females (Rasha (50), Angel (33), Bluebonnet (23), Belle (8)) and three bulls (Colonel (30), Romeo (28), Bowie (7)). The bulls are occasionally mixed with the females, yet often need to be managed separately. Therefore the zoo changed the design of the complex to include several sizable off-exhibit displays. Also seen in the graphic is the barn. There are 11 stalls for the elephants in the barn, which was expanded as part of the project.
The main on-exhibit yard is the south yard. It is set in a grove of live oak trees and is pretty grassy considering it just opened. The yard is viewed entirely from a shaded boardwalk themed like a Southeast Asian market. Views are across the massive pool, which apparently is 18 feet deep at its deepest. It has several waterfalls flowing into it and is surrounded by a mix of rockwork and fencing. The zoo has extensively planted the areas around the exhibit with a variety of evergreen plants including palms, southern magnolia, and bamboo. During my visit this yard generally held the female elephants, although on my second afternoon Colonel was rotated on exhibit.
The north exhibit is the smaller yard. It on my visit generally housed the zoos youngest bull, Bowie. It is rather strangely laid out as its only really viewable across the pool, with additional limited views through bamboo. I guess the intent was to give the elephants more privacy, in comparison with the south on-exhibit yard. As you can see the exhibit has little grass, this being a result of this yard being heavily used by the elephants while construction continued on the southern section of the complex.
Attached to the north yard is the demonstration yard. This yard is currently being used for a 4pm training demonstration. On one visit the demonstration involved Bowie, while on another visit the demonstration featured two of the females.
The other species housed in Elephant Springs is Indian Rhino. Currently there is only a single male housed in the yard shown below. There is a second yard but it will not be accessible to both the rhino and visitors until construction is more complete on the adjacent complex. The exhibit is pretty beautiful with a large pool, and nice oak trees (the zoo really did well with tree preservation). I had previously critiqued the exhibit for being too small. Its not large by any metric, and I would’ve preferred it house something like Malayan tapir, but I guess its large enough for two rhinos.
Overall Elephant Springs is a pretty great complex. Its not the largest Asian elephant complex yet it is definitely designed with elephant management in mind. No one display is large, but together the elephants have several acres of space and nearly 500,000 gallons of water. Although designed for different populations it is rather similar to Toyota Elephant Passage in this aspect (although lusher). Out of the 8 Asian elephant complexes I have seen, I would probably place it second to Elephant Trails at the National Zoo.
Elephant Springs:
Elephant Springs is the brand new complex for Asian Elephants and Indian rhinoceros at the Fort Worth Zoo. The site it occupies was previously home to the zoos elephants, rhino (black and indian), giraffe, and hippo. A few years back the zoo had the opportunity to expand into 5 acres of adjacent parkland. This expansion enabled the zoo to build its new african area, which I will discuss later. Once this expansion was complete the zoo began the phased work of elephant springs, which was completed while all 7 elephants were on site. The resulting complex is simply put, wonderful. I had my doubts about Elephant Springs, when I saw the plans for the exhibit. Yet having spent nearly 2 hours in the complex over 2 days, my concerns were largely alleviated.
Below you can see an exhibit plan that was posted along the viewing boardwalk. The exhibit has 2 on-exhibit spaces and behind them are 4 off-exhibit spaces. I was told this was important in the management of the current group, which has 4 females (Rasha (50), Angel (33), Bluebonnet (23), Belle (8)) and three bulls (Colonel (30), Romeo (28), Bowie (7)). The bulls are occasionally mixed with the females, yet often need to be managed separately. Therefore the zoo changed the design of the complex to include several sizable off-exhibit displays. Also seen in the graphic is the barn. There are 11 stalls for the elephants in the barn, which was expanded as part of the project.
The main on-exhibit yard is the south yard. It is set in a grove of live oak trees and is pretty grassy considering it just opened. The yard is viewed entirely from a shaded boardwalk themed like a Southeast Asian market. Views are across the massive pool, which apparently is 18 feet deep at its deepest. It has several waterfalls flowing into it and is surrounded by a mix of rockwork and fencing. The zoo has extensively planted the areas around the exhibit with a variety of evergreen plants including palms, southern magnolia, and bamboo. During my visit this yard generally held the female elephants, although on my second afternoon Colonel was rotated on exhibit.
The north exhibit is the smaller yard. It on my visit generally housed the zoos youngest bull, Bowie. It is rather strangely laid out as its only really viewable across the pool, with additional limited views through bamboo. I guess the intent was to give the elephants more privacy, in comparison with the south on-exhibit yard. As you can see the exhibit has little grass, this being a result of this yard being heavily used by the elephants while construction continued on the southern section of the complex.
Attached to the north yard is the demonstration yard. This yard is currently being used for a 4pm training demonstration. On one visit the demonstration involved Bowie, while on another visit the demonstration featured two of the females.
The other species housed in Elephant Springs is Indian Rhino. Currently there is only a single male housed in the yard shown below. There is a second yard but it will not be accessible to both the rhino and visitors until construction is more complete on the adjacent complex. The exhibit is pretty beautiful with a large pool, and nice oak trees (the zoo really did well with tree preservation). I had previously critiqued the exhibit for being too small. Its not large by any metric, and I would’ve preferred it house something like Malayan tapir, but I guess its large enough for two rhinos.
Overall Elephant Springs is a pretty great complex. Its not the largest Asian elephant complex yet it is definitely designed with elephant management in mind. No one display is large, but together the elephants have several acres of space and nearly 500,000 gallons of water. Although designed for different populations it is rather similar to Toyota Elephant Passage in this aspect (although lusher). Out of the 8 Asian elephant complexes I have seen, I would probably place it second to Elephant Trails at the National Zoo.