"A long, winding path takes guests around and under felled trees. Aged gray tree hunks form arches, for instance, over bridges that tower over clay-colored paths with hoof prints. The design is meant to reorient us, to take us on a trail walked not by humans but traversed and carved by elephants, a creature still misunderstood, vilified and hunted for its cataclysmic-like ability to reshape land, and sometimes communities."
""It starts," says Kristi Burtis, vice president of wildlife care for the Safari Park, "by telling the story that elephants are ecosystem engineers." Elephant Valley will open March 5 as the newest experience at the Escondido park, its aim to bring guests closer than ever to the zoo's eight elephants, which range in age from 7 to 36, while more heavily focusing on conservation."
Elephant Valley occupies more than 13 acres of savanna and opens March 5 at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Visitors travel along a long, winding trail around and under felled trees, with aged gray tree hunks forming arches over bridges and clay-colored, hoofprint-lined paths that mimic routes carved by elephants. The space emphasizes that elephants are ecosystem engineers and offers a curved bridge and elevated viewing so guests can see elephants walk beneath them. The herd of eight elephants, ages 7 to 36, includes rescues and births, and the exhibit minimizes visible barriers while focusing more heavily on conservation.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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