All I will say is, don't get your hopes up, especially with Africans. I truly think it is a pipe dream.
Brookfield Zoo publicly announced African elephants will be included in the next phase of their masterplan- I doubt they would've announced elephants as an upcoming addition unless they were confident they'd be able to acquire them. There are at least five zoos with African elephants I can think of which may necessitate a herd split in the upcoming decade, so it truthfully doesn't seem like an unlikely possibility for me. That said- I think Brookfield will be the exception, not the rule, as I don't think there are many zoos that will wish to dedicate the space, money, and long-term expenses necessary to commit to adding elephants to a collection, especially given the extra scrutiny that elephants receive over other species.
As both species' populations have began to grow in recent years, I'm curious as to anyone's thoughts regarding any facilities that may potentially obtain elephants or any phase out facilities that may bring them back!
One that came to mind for instance as a likely future holder would be The Wilds in Ohio.
The facility is absolutely massive, and definitely would have the room to manage a breeding herd in addition to their other animals. The Wilds has also been working on improving guest accessibility to viewing areas outside the open air safari, starting with their new giraffe barn, so the issue of guests having limited viewing would likely be easily solved.
The species would more than likely be African, given that the main zoo is focusing on Asian elephants. While technically both facilities could breed Asians (Like Pittsburgh is trying to do with Africans), I find that there will likely be a greater need to house Africans in the future. Given their success with breeding, It's doubtless that they'd be a powerhouse within the population.
Truthfully, I don't think there will be many completely new facilities. Furthermore, I don't think completely new facilities are what is needed. The first priority for future bachelor holders and/or herd splits should be current geriatric holders who already have respectable elephant programs and will only need minimal renovations to house these new social structures. Specifically, I suspect the following holders will receive a new herd within the next 20 years:
Current African holders
- Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
- Jacksonville Zoo
- Zoo Miami
- Zoo Atlanta
- Maryland Zoo
- North Carolina Zoo
- Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
- Roger Williams Park Zoo (would likely need a renovated and/or expanded exhibit, unknown if they will commit to elephants or not)
- Memphis Zoo (has plans for a new exhibit)
- Milwaukee County Zoo
Many of these facilities will move a lot of the major African elephant news further east- especially given the addition of a number of Southeastern facilities that will be in ideal locations for cooperation with Tampa and Disney. Given the lack of other African elephant holders in the northeast, I suspect Roger Williams Park Zoo would be a better fit for Asian elephants- as they are in a logistically easier location for a bachelor holder cooperating with Rosamond Gifford Zoo, Smithsonian's National Zoo, Columbus, and Cincinnati, than they are with any of the major African holders.
Current Asian holders
- Zoo Miami
- Audubon Zoo
- Bronx Zoo (will require new exhibit)
- Tulsa Zoo
I fully believe that Bronx Zoo will commit to elephants in a new exhibit going forward, despite their lack of stated plans for a new exhibit, and Bronx certainly has the ability to commit to a really impressive elephant complex. Despite their youngest elephant being Asian, Zoo Miami could go with either elephant species going forward- most of the other Southeast holders are African, however White Oak is perhaps the most major Asian holder there is, so it would be beneficial having an additional Southeast Asian elephant holder they can cooperate with too.
