San Diego Zoo Safari Park is getting ready to roll out a savanna-sized upgrade that brings guests startlingly close to its elephant herd, close enough that staff say visitors will be able to pick out individual eyelashes and hairs on a trunk. Denny Sanford Elephant Valley opens March 5, with an elevated, walk-through route that loops above and around the animals as they roam.
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance announced the March 5 opening in a San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance release, calling Elephant Valley the largest project in the organization’s 109-year history. According to the release, the new experience is included with regular Safari Park admission and was funded by thousands of donors, with a lead gift from philanthropist Denny Sanford.
The reimagined habitat is described on the San Diego Zoo Safari Park site as a more than 13-acre savanna centered on Mkutano House, a multistory lodge offering open-air dining that looks out over two watering holes. The park says pathways will be lined with hundreds of plants chosen to mirror seasonal changes in African grasslands, and designers worked to keep guests elevated so the elephants have room to move naturally below.
“Our guests are going to be able to see the hairs on an elephant,” Kristi Burtis, the Safari Park’s vice president of wildlife care, told the Los Angeles Times during a media preview. That preview also highlighted a curved bridge that lets elephants pass beneath visitors and pointed out that one entrance is fitted with bee boxes intended to deter elephants from nearby crops. Designers and staff said timed feeders are built in to encourage the herd to move across the acres, and water areas have been reshaped with ramps and steps so elephants can more easily swim and wade.
Conservation Ties and Research
Elephant Valley is designed as a research engine as much as a crowd-pleaser. In the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance release, officials said the new habitat will deepen scientific work and support partnerships with Kenyan groups including Reteti Elephant Sanctuary, the Northern Rangelands Trust and the Loisaba Conservancy to develop coexistence strategies. Studies of elephant health and calf care, including efforts focused on endotheliotropic herpesvirus, will be shared with those partners to help safeguard wild herds.
When to Go and Practical Details
Reservations are recommended for dining at Mkutano House, although the park says a walk-up to-go window will also be available. Elephant Valley is included with general Safari Park admission. For tickets and the latest visitor guidance, the park directs guests to its online information on the San Diego Zoo Safari Park site and to earlier local coverage, including Hoodline coverage, which earlier looked at Elephant Valley plans.
