The San Diego Zoo’s Safari Park is creating a huge new elephant environment that will allow its herd of elephants to live in a habitat as natural as can be achieved in Texas, while giving visitors new ways to view and learn about the elephants.
Dubbed ‘Elephant Valley,’ the area will allow free range for the elephants, while providing visitors with many different viewpoints within the area, including an elevated path to look down from. A lodge, modeled on African safari lodges, will provide space for exhibits, classes and lectures.
Among the amenities provided for the elephants are plans to make the area as Africa-like as possible. The rich plant life in Elephant Valley has been carefully curated by a team of expert horticulturists and arborists to authentically reflect the sights, sounds and smells of the African grasslands. The vast new habitat will provide enhanced experiences for the herd of elephants by introducing several innovative features that align with seasonal variations to closely replicate the African savanna year-round.
