ELEPHANT ARRIVES SAFELY AT DENVER ZOO'S TOYOTA ELEPHANT PASSAGE EXHIBIT
41-Year-Old Elephant, Groucho, Becomes the Zoo's largest resident
A 41-year-old male elephant from Fort Worth Zoo arrived safely at Denver Zoo and is getting acquainted with his new state of the art indoor quarters. Groucho traveled with a curator and zookeeper from Denver Zoo's Toyota Elephant Passage as well as staff from the Fort Worth Zoo to become the largest Denver Zoo resident, weighing in at approximately 11,000 pounds. This is the second male elephant to arrive in Denver Zoo's new Toyota Elephant Passage exhibit.
Although animals are beginning to move to the exhibit, Toyota Elephant Passage will not open until June 1, 2012 to allow enough time for animals to become accustomed to the 10-acre area featuring six interconnected habitats and more than 100 gated passageways. Guests will not be able to see the zoo's newest resident until that time.
Groucho's move was sanctioned by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Species Survival Plan in support of Asian elephant conservation. Toyota Elephant Passage is an exhibit designed to house up to eight bull (male) elephants. No other zoo habitat has the capability to accommodate that many males. The effort was designed to support zoo breeding programs by providing additional space for bull elephants. Toyota Elephant Passage also will support the Asian elephant Species Survival Plan by enabling artificial insemination techniques through semen collection.
Although construction was completed in 2011, ample time for staff training and animal acclimation is planned before the exhibit opens to the public in June 2012. With six large animal habitats contained in the 10-acre facility, the complex exhibit features more than 100 animal transfer gates managed from a central control center, connecting two miles of trails to explore. After staff is fully trained on the exhibit, positive reinforcement based training will help zookeepers teach the animals how to navigate the great variety of habitats.
Denver Zoo's resident elephants, females Mimi and Dolly, moved to the exhibit in December, joining the zoo's new male, 7-year-old Bodhi the elephant in the Clayton F. Freiheit Elephant House.
Toyota Elephant Passage's expansive complex will allow visitors to explore and discover the rich history of animals in Asian culture, their complicated relationship with humans and the efforts Denver Zoo and its colleagues undertake to protect their future. Guests will be immersed in Asian wildlife and culture through multi-sensory experiences providing greater awareness and understanding of the role we all must play in protecting wildlife for future generations. In addition to elephants, the exhibit will be home to other Asian species, including rhinos, tapirs, small clawed otters, fishing cats and flying foxes.
