More Space for Elephants to Thrive

The new habitat will be nearly five times the size of our current elephant yards and will include 4 acres of grass and sandy terrain, with trees, plants, rocks, and water features that mimic the Asian elephant’s native habitat. At the center will be a 22,000 square foot Elephant Barn – featuring communal and off-habitat spaces for elephants, as well as areas for visitor viewing, events and staff offices.

Identified by experts as a key component of modern elephant programs, the Barn will feature a 10,000 square foot communal room with high ceilings for our elephants to congregate, socialize, exercise, and create strong family ties. It will have a full-depth sand bed and enrichment features that simulate natural outdoor environments for animal well-being, with flexibility and keeper access to allow for safe rotation of elephants.

Keeper support areas including break rooms, lockers and offices, individual elephant holding rooms, and special maternity dens ensure this building will be on the leading edge of elephant care. 

Better Visitor Engagement for All Ages

Recent research reveals that the primary motivation of people who come to zoos is to spend quality time with their families. Unplugged from the digital world, the Zoo provides family-centered experiences that encourage the sharing of enthusiasm, curiosity and wonder. In a world of countless recreational options, zoos are an appealing and accessible attraction for all generations. So, just as this new elephant habitat will offer an enriched environment for elephant families, visitor families will also enjoy a better experience. Elephant Trek will have naturalistic barriers that create better visitor viewing opportunities outdoors, while a new community room will allow indoor viewing opportunities during colder temperatures.

A Multi-Generational Herd

We will invest in a long-term breeding program to contribute to the survival of Asian elephants, an endangered species, working closely with other zoos and species survival groups. We envision a multi-generational herd with strong bonds, as elephants would form in the wild. In support of that vision, we will deepen our commitment to enrichment activities that mimic and encourage natural elephant behavior. Elephants will spend most of their day foraging and interacting with one another in an environment that allows “elephants to be  elephants” through bathing, playing, dusting and other social behaviors, while all the time providing the elephants free choice to roam about wherever they please. The habitat design will be driven by the elephant’s natural ecology, biology and behavior.

With capacity for 225-250 guests, the new space will be the crown jewel of our Group Sales program and a much sought-after venue for corporate meetings, retreats, and weddings. The venue will have a view into the elephant’s communal room, as well as a sweeping view over the entire outdoor habitat.

The Barn will give Zoo visitors unprecedented, all-season engagement with the herd via an indoor viewing area adjacent to the primary guest path. More viewing opportunities will be on the second floor too, along with staff offices and a permanent indoor large-group event space.

Elephant Trek will be a primary stop for the Zoo’s 330,000+ school-aged children who visit annually on field trips, as well as over 82,000 low-income children and their families who visit as part of our Zoo Access for All Program. As the leading non-formal science educator in southern Ohio, the Zoo has partnerships with Cincinnati Public Schools and virtually every other public and private school systems in the region, providing visitors, school children and educators an opportunity to learn about and become part of conservation efforts as we work together to save species like elephants. The quality of the new Elephant Trek and its inquiry-based interpretive exhibits will engage and help create a personal connection, encouraging empathy and a respect for nature.