Central New Yorkers who visit the Rosamond Gifford Zoo can once again see elephants playing in the water. Officials opened the new pool area on Tuesday, and the elephants could already be seen taking a dip. Zoo Director Ted Fox says many families and visitors have been very anxious to see what the new habitat will look like.
"There is nothing more fulfilling, for especially the animal staff, who spend so much time and dedication taking care of them on a daily basis and knowing how much this enhances their experience is amazing," Fox said. "You can equate it to having a new toy for one of your pets that it really loves, and a dog running around in circle chasing something, then you know that you have done right, and that is exactly what we are experiencing today with the elephants."
Fox says the new 100 by 40 foot pool mimics a typical watering hole that elephants might encounter in their natural environment.
" This is a perfect replica of a watering situation that they would find in the wild, in that it has those gentle slopping side," Fox said. "No matter where the elephant would want to get in and out, they could do that easily and not be in trouble."
He says elephants naturally have a high mortality rate, and they have been working hard to make sure the exhibit is safer. He says the health and well-being of the animals are the top priority.
"Any enhancement that we can do to make the animal more comfortable, more healthy and their well-being improved, helps in the long range of the health of the population and breeding," Fox said. "That is one thing that we look at all the time and take seriously: How does the individual animal feel within the space that we provide? What can we do more to make them more comfortable, be happier, to improve their well-being?"
The $1.8 million project funded by Friends of the Zoo includes a new pool, an observation deck and a life support system.
