See Safari Park's immersive elephant exhibit starting next year
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The Safari Park is building a new habitat for its herd of elephants. Photo: Courtesy of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
A remodeled elephant exhibit is set to open at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park early next year, offering guests an up-close look at the animals and the zoo's wildlife conservation efforts.
Why it matters: The Denny Sanford Elephant Valley is the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance's "largest and most transformative project" in its 109-year history, according to the alliance.
Driving the news: The zoo announced the new opening timeline and construction update on Tuesday, which was World Elephant Day.
Zoom in: The reconstructed habitat is designed to replicate the African savanna and grasslands through the seasons, with horticulturists and arborists curating hundreds of plants, like African thorn, trees that elephants eat.
- Guests will be surrounded by elephants on multiple sides as they walk on pathways alongside and above the herd. They'll also be able to see the world's largest mammals play and swim in a 240,000-gallon watering hole.
- Mkutano House, a new two-story restaurant at the center of the habitat, was inspired by traveler lodges on African safaris.
- Another space called Mkutano Park will host educational programming about African wildlife.
What they're saying: "Every detail of this habitat has been purposefully designed to reflect the elephants' natural environment, supporting their well-being while inspiring meaningful connections," San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance interim president and CEO Shawn Dixon said in a statement.
The big picture: Through this exhibit, the zoo is looking to celebrate Kenyan culture and communities, where people and elephants coexist.
- It will also highlight the collaborative conservation efforts the zoo supports in Africa with several organizations there.
Between the lines: African savanna elephants are an endangered species, and their populations are threatened by habitat loss, climate change, poaching and challenges to coexisting with humans, according to the zoo.
- Researchers are using the Safari Park's herd to better understand their social behaviors and health needs to monitoring techniques and the protection of elephants in the wild.
- The zoo is also helping the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary fund a mobile veterinary unit to provide care in the remote wilderness of northern Kenya.
Follow the money: The project, which has been under construction since 2022 and is now 80% complete, was funded by more than 4,000 donors, including a major gift from longtime zoo supporter and billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford.
If you go: The new experience will be included with admission to the park, which already offers a variety of additional immersive wildlife safaris.
- The park is open daily from 8am-4pm. Tickets are $66 for kids and $76 for adults.