I don’t know if it’s correct but I heard they came from Ringling Bros. the rhinos have moved to a new barn and will soon be on display in an expanded (actually doubled since it includes the old Bontebok yard which they moved over to the round barn) yard with the zebra and oryx, according to the latest issue of Exzooberance. This effectively doubles the elephants continuous space and is a huge upgrade for the rhinos. I just hope the new girls get along well with the three already there.
This is all a ‘first step’ in the plans to upgrade the African Veldt area of the zoo, what’s next remains to be seen but I hope it includes more species in the main Veldt, changes to giraffes, and hopefully an expanded elephant habitat (if you’re familiar with the the zoo I’m hoping they’ll expand down past the current camel ride area).
In other general news there are now blue crane with the Nyala in Zambezi and the Yellow-backed Duiker are signed but not displayed with the okapi anymore. The white-bellied pangolin that have been on display in then nocturnal building since March have finally really acclimated and I’ve now seen both of them active.
Maybe Asali is going to be transferred to a breeding facility.Ringling only owns asian elephants, so they two did not come from there. Looking at instagram comments these 2 elephants are retirees from another circus. Its interesting to see memphis picked to receive them as they have one of the smallest exhibits in an AZA zoo and already has 3 elephants in it. I hope the zoo has plans in coming years to expand the space, as it appears to be both outdated and tiny for 5 elephants.
A quuck measurement I just did puts the outdoor space at .7 acres. There is significant space towards the camels to expand though. About an acre, maybe even 1.5 acres if they move some maintainence buildings.
But I don't think Memphis has any room for calves.We’ll see what gets built and when, whatever it is will probably be after they pay their 1.5 million half of the new parking lot and it’s finished during the next off season. I think ideally any new barn for the elephants should be in that keeper area to maximize space but again, we’ll see.
Asali is not going anywhere, I’m sure that a part of the reason Memphis accepted these new elephant and is so that when Tyranza (knock on wood) eventually does pass they won’t have to scramble to find another female to meet accreditation standards. Besides with AI Memphis “is” a breeding facility lol. Of course this is not not the first time elephants have come to the zoo like this, Gina came from a private owner as well.
I can bet that Torre Design will be at the helm of designing the new African Veldt, as Ace Torre did say that Zambezi would either be the finale or the entryway to a new African section. Their original master plan showcases spacious paddocks with a village at the center (interesting locations/designs for pachyderms), but that was completed in 2001-2003 when Zambezi and the new Sea Lion exhibit in Northwest Passage weren't even conceived, with Zambezi destined to becoming an events lawn.I don’t know if it’s correct but I heard they came from Ringling Bros. the rhinos have moved to a new barn and will soon be on display in an expanded (actually doubled since it includes the old Bontebok yard which they moved over to the round barn) yard with the zebra and oryx, according to the latest issue of Exzooberance. This effectively doubles the elephants continuous space and is a huge upgrade for the rhinos. I just hope the new girls get along well with the three already there.
This is all a ‘first step’ in the plans to upgrade the African Veldt area of the zoo, what’s next remains to be seen but I hope it includes more species in the main Veldt, changes to giraffes, and hopefully an expanded elephant habitat (if you’re familiar with the the zoo I’m hoping they’ll expand down past the current camel ride area).
In other general news there are now blue crane with the Nyala in Zambezi and the Yellow-backed Duiker are signed but not displayed with the okapi anymore. The white-bellied pangolin that have been on display in then nocturnal building since March have finally really acclimated and I’ve now seen both of them active.