CLEVELAND -- The RainForest’s legacy continued to leave its mark on the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo with the creation of African Elephant Crossing in 2011.
Replacing the former home of elephants, The Pachyderm Building, African Elephant Crossing (AEC) offers zoo visitors the opportunity to view one of the feature animals in a pair of open-air settings, as well as an interior space in case of inclement weather.
“We opened up African Elephant Crossing in 2011, and it represents really our new, modern style of exhibit design, where we’re trying to put the animals in the large space and have those spaces surround the public spaces,” said Dr. Chris Kuhar, Executive Director of the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.
PHOTOS: African Elephant Crossing brings open-air, immersive environment to Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
The outdoor areas feature settings where visitors can view elephants roaming and eating, as well as a deep-water swim channel, waterfall, nose-to-truck window and a gated crossing, where elephants move from one part of the enclosure to another.
“We also designed this space in order to allow the elephants to move through different parts of the exhibit throughout the course of the day so they’re not just sitting in one exhibit all day long,” Kuhar said.
“That provides a variety for the animals, allows the keepers to reset the exhibits, provides a lot more activities for the animals and that’s a much better guest experience for the public.”
AEC is home to five elephants, most notably Willy, the first full-grown male elephant at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo since 1962. Willy arrived in Cleveland in 2011 after being moved from Disney’s Animal Kingdom near Orlando.
The one-tusked elephant is the largest animal to call the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo home, as he tips the scales at an estimated 13,000 pounds and stands 11 feet tall at the shoulders.
Willy’s arrival in Cleveland in time for the opening of African Elephant Crossing was facilitated by the African Elephant Species Survival Plan of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
“He’s the largest elephant in North America,” Kuhar said. “He’s really a signature animal for us.”
In addition to featuring the animals, including slender-tailed meerkats, black-cheeked lovebirds, the African rock python, naked mole rat and very types of birds, African Elephant Crossing has drawn accolades from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).
The recognition came from the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo’s ability to meet industry standard for the construction of green buildings.
“We’re going to take what we started here at AEC, took it a step further with Rosebrough Tiger Passage and take it another step further with Asian Highlands, a series of interconnected exhibits, complicated spaces, great for the animals, great for the really important conservation message about how exciting these animals are and how you can make a difference,” Kuhar said.
“That’s really what it’s all about, being positive. Conservation can often be a depressing message. We want to make it exciting. We want to empower people and make them excited about the animals and the environment.”