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December 30, 2015
Mississippi
Alberta
North Portland
Vancouver
East County
Beaverton
photo by s andy t hoMpson , Courtesy of the o regon Z oo
Lily and her mom, Rose-Tu, enjoy a swim in the Oregon Zoo’s new 160,000-gallon pool for pachyderms, part of the zoo’s expansive new Elephant Lands habitat.
the
‘Elephant Lands’
Ushers in New Era
at the Oregon Zoo
Testing Waters
The New Year ushers in a new era at the
Oregon Zoo as the most ambitious project
in zoo history is now complete. Elephant
Lands, a world-class home for a world-fa-
mous elephant family, opened to the public
on Dec. 16.
Two and a half years in the making, and
four times the size of the zoo’s former el-
ephant habitat, Elephant Lands accounts
for nearly one-tenth of the zoo’s total 64-
acre footprint. A bridge leading visitors
to the new Forest Hall offers a sweeping,
panoramic view of the entire project: six
acres, extending around much of the zoo’s
eastern side from the central lawn to the
veterinary medical center.
“The puzzle is finally complete,” said
Bob Lee, the zoo’s elephant curator. “All
the separate pieces are connected, and the
elephant family has the run of the place.
This feels like a historical moment. It’s not
just a new space they’re stepping into —
it’s a whole new era of elephant welfare.”
To keep the herd comfortable during the
building of Elephant Lands, animal-care
staff and construction managers devised a
phasing plan to gradually expand the ele-
phants’ accessible space. The Encounter
Habitat opened two years ago, followed
by the North Habitat in April. New indoor
facilities — among the largest in the world
— opened to elephants in May, and the re-
cently opened South Habitat completes the
project and brings all the areas together.
“This is a home for some of the largest
and most intelligent land mammals on the
planet,” Lee said. “We wanted to make
sure we did it right. This new habitat lets
elephants be elephants, making their own
decisions about how they spend their days
and nights.”
“Our community has created something
truly special here,” added Heidi Rahn, bond
program director. “Ever since the birth of
Packy, we’ve had a strong connection with
elephants, and now this world-famous ele-
C ontinued on p age 16