Plains of Africa

Elephants, giraffes, wildebeests…oh my! It’s an unforgettable experience in Africa with the expansion of our elephant habitat and the introduction of African wild dogs and wildebeests. New and unique viewing opportunities will bring you closer to wildlife than ever before.

Significant upgrades and renovations to the Plains of Africa have already begun and include major improvements to the giraffe and elephant habitats, as well as the addition of two new species to the area, wildebeests (now open!) and African wild dogs.

Major improvements for our elephants include:

• A full immersion pool for bathing and an elephant “nursery” made up of a birthing stall and special care stall with camera monitors, in hopes of a new zoo baby

• Expansion of the elephants’ sand room, a state-of-the-art foot and joint-friendly space inside the elephants’ building. It’s the first of its kind in the country

• Expansion of the outside exhibit area to one full acre with a new raised viewing deck that will span a central area between the giraffe and elephant exhibits, giving visitors exciting vantage points and a chance to get even more up close and personal with these gentle giants
  
  
• Installation of a rubberized floor in another section of the building, and the addition of a 900 square foot hay storage space
  
  
• Perhaps most exciting, a number of improvements and additions to allow for breeding and a resulting elephant calf
  
  

What Will it Look LIke?

Textron Elephant & Giraffe Pavilion
Plans for the elephant and giraffe exhibit areas will provide not only a dramatic facelift to the visitor pavilion, but also important behind-the-scenes improvements that will allow for something truly unforgettable - breeding of the zoo’s elephants and housing of a calf.

Robert F. Stoico / FIRSTFED Charitable Foundation "Jambu Junction"
(middle left rendering)
As part of the Plains of Africa upgrades, the entire area will receive a face lift and new theme that will explore how the people, animals, and the land they live in are woven together to create the unique ‘Fabric of Africa’.

Elephant/Giraffe Viewing Deck
(bottom left rendering)
A new expansive, raised viewing deck will span a central area between the giraffe and elephant exhibits, providing visitors with improved vantage points and a chance to get even more up close and personal with these gentle giants. Along with spectacular views will be multiple opportunities for visitors to get an insider’s glimpse into the world of animal care – from how to give an elephant a bath to giving a giraffe a check-up.

Timeframe and budget: $8.7 million; construction in progress and scheduled for completion in 2008.

About elephant breeding plans at Roger Williams Park Zoo
As an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and a participant in the AZA’s African Elephant Species Survival Program (SSP), Roger Williams Park Zoo is committed to ensuring that elephants are part of the world’s future.  Through conservation, education and research programs, elephants in the care of AZA-accredited zoos play an essential role in the survival of the species in the wild. 

In the past 25 years in the wild, the African elephant population has fallen from 1.6 million to less than 50,000 – a decline of more than 100 elephants each day.  In captivity, AZA institutions like Roger Williams Park Zoo care for approximately 300 of the 500 elephants in North America.  To keep this captive population viable and healthy, there is a great need for captive breeding.

AZA institutions have had 10 successful elephant births (both African and Asian) since 2000 - an average of two per year.  However, it is estimated that to sustain the species at a healthy level in captivity nine births per year are needed.  AZA recommendations call for 57 African elephant breedings by 2009 (31 through artificial insemination).  Being home to three female African elephants, all at prime breeding age (around 20 years old), Roger Williams Park Zoo is in the position to make a critical contribution to the future of the captive elephant population through breeding.

Because the logistics and mechanics of moving and housing a bull (or male) elephant are extensive, the elephants will be bred using artificial insemination (AI). In recent years the success rate of AI in elephants has risen to about 80%, and improving methods have made it a relatively quick and non-invasive procedure to carry out.  Insemination will be attempted on only one elephant at a time.  The determination as to which one will depend on the predictability of each elephant’s cycle as well as a physical exam and behavior assessment that would indicate which of the three may make the best mother.

In March 2006, Dr. Dennis Schmidt, professor at Southwest Missouri State University and one of the world’s foremost Elephant Reproductive Specialists, performed ultrasound probes on all three elephants to examine the structure of their ovaries and uterus and to look for cysts and other abnormalities.  All three elephants were found to be in good physical standing to breed.

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