Importance of Asian Tropics

Asian Tropics will be a very important component of Denver Zoo because…

• With few facilities that can manage
  and hold bull elephants, captive elephant populations in North America are not self-sustaining. To support a national effort to create a sustainable Asian elephant breeding program, Asian Tropics will be the first facility in the country able to house a significant group of bull elephants.  In the long-term, Asian Tropics will allow Denver Zoo to become an important Asian elephant breeding center.

• Asian Tropics will help people understand the delicate relationship between animals and human populations.
  
  
• Asian Tropics will foster an appreciation for Asian elephants, Indian rhinos and other Asian species that continue to decline due to deforestation, poaching, the wildlife trade, human population growth and poverty.
  
  
• Denver Zoo is at the forefront of animal care, management and conservation.  Asian Tropics will reinforce Denver Zoo’s animal management practices by revolutionizing the way we care for large species.  In Asian Tropics, elephants, rhinos and Malayan tapirs will rotate among five unique habitats designed to provide abundant space and varied topography for both physical exercise and mental stimulation.  Using plants, rockwork and other landscape features, habitats will include both deep and shallow pools for wading and swimming, as well as sand and mud to encourage dust bathing, wallowing and other natural behaviors.