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Dedicated to the Children and to the Hope for a Future where People and Elephants Thrive.
The Harry and Linda Fath Elephant Trek includes swimming pools, streams, overhead feeding stations, mud wallows and enrichment opportunities at every turn. It provides a world-class environment for the Asian elephant herd that lives there now and plenty of room for their offspring in the future! Elephant Trek is part of our investment in a long-term breeding program and will help secure the future for elephants at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. Through global partnerships, we are also doing our part to protect elephant populations in the forests of Southeast Asia.
Meet the Herd
Meet Mai Thai, Schottzie, Sabu, Jati, SheRa, Kabir, Anak & Sanjay!
Asian elephants typically live in small, multi-generational herds of related females, their female offspring, and related immature males. With our state-of-the-art habitat, we can manage up to three groups at a time with this yard. As elephants are born, grow, and age, and as family dynamics evolve, the Zoo can support ‘elephants being elephants’ and allow these groupings to change.
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Mai Thai -
Schottzie -
Jati -
Sabu -
SheRa -
Kabir -
Anak -
Sanjay -
Pool Party
The pools at Elephant Trek are filled with water that’s collected in tanks that were buried under the habitat and have the capacity to hold a million gallons! That project was partially funded by the Zoo’s official water sustainability sponsor Roto Rooter.
The Zoo collects rainwater, cleans it, and uses it for streams, waterfalls, pools, and other water elements in Elephant Trek and other parts of the Zoo.
Outdoor Habitat
In addition to multiple water features throughout the five-acre habitat, there are elements specifically designed to provide enrichment for the elephants. These are items that encourage movement and other natural behaviors. The herd of eight can access three different yards that serve different purposes and can accommodate separation for training and medical procedures. The indoor area was also designed with this kind of flexibility in mind, so you may see all elephants together in the large community room or in different combinations around the periphery.
Gardens
The Zoo’s horticulture team designed and planted one of the most unique gardens in the Midwest! Visitors are transported to Asia as they enter Elephant Trek through The Komminsk Family Asian Waterfall Garden and continue on through a forested habitat that follows streams to open grasslands. There’s a heavy presence of tropical plants including large elephant ears, tropical bananas, and Chinese Fan Palms which are native to Southeast Asia. Trees that look tropical but are native to the Cincinnati area are a critical part of the design plan.
Plants, such as lemongrass and chilis, that are used to deter elephants from destroying crops in Southeast Asia are also present in the landscape along with interpretive guides that tell the story of how alternative crops are helping to reduce human-elephant conflict.
More info:
Cincinnati Zoo supports the Tom Yum Project in Thailand, a community-based conservation initiative that addresses human-elephant conflict by supporting farmers to grow natural ingredients found in the spicy Tom Yum soup. These elephant-deterring crops are not only easy to grow and economically viable but also help in diversifying local livelihoods and creating employment for rural communities.
Animal Care
The Cincinnati Zoo is taking proactive measures to keep its Asian elephant herd healthy. Vets and elephant keepers are working hard to protect the elephants from contracting Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus – EEHV, or at least mitigating the severity if they do. EEHV is a major threat to elephants in the North American population as well as elephants in their home range. A comprehensive monitoring and treatment protocol has been developed by zoo veterinarians. Combined with effective training and sample collection by animal husbandry and veterinary staff, this monitoring should allow for early detection and treatment of elephants, and hopefully result in better survival if EEHV-HD occurs at the Cincinnati Zoo.
Mural and Artwork
Elephant Trek is full of amazing artwork by local artists. Look around every corner to see the beauty!
Artist Olivia Faillace created a sculpture for the Elephant Trek entry, with support from well-known sculptor Tom Tsuchiya. Local artist Cedric M. Cox made his mark on the 175-foot-long concrete wall on the side of the Farmer Family Foundation Elephant Center that faces Forest Avenue and included Zoo staff and community members in the mural-painting project. The architectural design is also a work of art!
Sustainability
The Cincinnati Zoo prioritized sustainability in construction of Elephant Trek. All buildings in the new, five-acre Elephant Trek habitat will be LEED certified, stormwater tanks buried under the habitat provide all the water for the streams and pools, and most of the power will come from solar panels over the Zoo’s parking lots and a new 165 kW array that’s on top of the elephant barn.
The million-gallon-capacity stormwater tanks aren’t just providing water for animal habitats. They’re keeping water and sewer overflow out of the Zoo’s neighbors’ basements and the Ohio River. AND the Zoo is saving money on utility bills! Protecting natural resources is part of Cincinnati Zoo’s commitment to save wildlife, locally and globally.
Conservation
Partnering with Conservation Initiatives (CI) in India and Bring the Elephant Home (BTEH) in Thailand, the Zoo is making strides to protect and sustain these majestic giants in their natural habitats. Endangered Asian elephants are facing an array of threats across their range. Habitat fragmentation is one of the most pressing issues, as expanding human settlements encroach on traditional migration routes. This leads to isolated elephant groups and a surge in human-elephant conflicts. Cincinnati Zoo’s conservation efforts are grounded in the belief that elephants are not nuisances but valuable assets to local communities.
Cincinnati Zoo also plays a leading role in AZA’s SAFE Elephant program and contributes funds raised from behind-the-scenes elephant tours to the International Elephant Foundation(IEF)
Private Events
Book your next private event in the Overlook at Elephant Trek! This spectacular space promises an extraordinary experience for every attendee. The Overlook offers an unparalleled setting that immerses guests in the wonder of these magnificent creatures. Imagine hosting your event with the awe-inspiring sights and sounds of elephants as your backdrop, creating memories and photo opportunities. The venue’s close proximity to these gentle giants adds an extraordinary and exclusive touch, ensuring your gathering is truly exceptional and unforgettable. Whether it’s a celebration, corporate event, or any special occasion, The Overlook at the Cincinnati Zoo transforms every moment into a memorable adventure.
Elephant Interpretive Guide
The Cincinnati Zoo celebrates the charisma and complexity of Asian elephants and their intertwined existence with humans and other Asian species. Elephant Trek will transport you to a landscape where humans and wildlife live side-by-side. At Elephant Trek, visitors will have the option to “join the herd” and advocate for Asian elephants with their actions and voices.
We hope this habitat inspires awe and encourages action for Asian elephants by sharing the ecological, cultural, and conservation stories of Asian species and promoting coexistence across shared landscapes.
Elephant Trek Path
Along the path leading to the Creek Shelter, visitors will encounter interpretive elements that hint at one of the overarching themes of this space – Coexistence in a shared landscape. Elephant tracks crisscross the path, evidence that this is, indeed, a shared space. Visitors are asked to imagine what it looks like when people and elephants live side by side, envisioning the opportunities and challenges this might present, and beginning to think about the complexities of coexistence.Geography: Where do Asian Elephant Live?
The Asian elephant’s historic range covered a vast portion of Asia. Today, they live in 13 different countries (with over 50% of the wild Asian elephant population living in India). About 19% of the lands they live on are protected. The human population living in the current range of Asian elephants is over 3.6 billion. Over 80 different languages are spoken and more than 15 religions are practiced in this region.Culture
Asian elephants live in geographically and culturally diverse places alongside people, and can be found foraging in forests, revered in temples, represented in art, symbolizing royalty, employed in safari tourism, working in timber yards, and even walking through urban areas. There is a long and unique history of humans living and working with Asian elephants and thatrelationship continues to evolve over time.
- Asian elephants are a symbol of royalty, historically part of processions for emperors and a strong element of the royal army.
- Some tea farmers run elephant-friendly, organic farms with buffer crops and corridors for elephants to pass through.
- Asian elephants are considered sacred in religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism, viewed as living incarnations of deities.
- Mahouts bathe elephants in their care, a livelihood often passed down through generations of families.
- Asian elephant herds navigate through the landscape, crossing rivers and forests across most of Asia.
Coexistence
What does it look like when people and elephants live side-by-side?
Asian Elephants & Culture
As highly social, complex, intelligent land mammals, Asian elephants shape the landscapes they inhabit as critical ecosystem engineers. Their presence is deeply interwoven with human cultures in Asia and elephants are often central figures in religious beliefs and values, art, community traditions, and diverse ways of life.
Nearly 20% of the world’s human population lives in or near Asian elephant habitat. As globalization occurs, the nature of the elephant-human relationship is ever evolving in response.
A Chime of Protection
Asian elephant bells date back to the 17th century in Asia, worn often by working elephants to warn pedestrians traveling narrow paths that an elephant
was approaching for the safety of both. They are often ceremonial in use as well, symbolizing luck and protection.
Go Slow & Look Both Ways
Railroads help goods and people move from one place to another in many countries. These lines traverse many parts of Asian such as northern India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, which are also key movement corridors for Asian elephants. Elephant-train collisions are common, often leading to casualties. One solution organizations are employing is the use of caution signs and railway patrols. When trains are moving through high use and forested areas, patrollers walk the tracks and signal train drivers to slow down, allowing for safe passage for both elephants and trains.Elephant Communication
Elephants are Engineers
This sign highlights an important sub-theme of this habitat. Elephants shape the habitat in which they live, serving an important function as a keystone species. They maintain the health and biodiversity of the plants and animals within their ecosystem with their movement and diet. Additionally, their protection also protects the other species that share their habitat.
Shh, Elephants are Talking
Elephants communicate in ways that humans can see and hear, as well as ways that are meant for other elephants only. This sign highlights the different forms of communication, with a special focus on infrasonic sound waves that elephants use with each other.
Coexistence Strategies/Threats
This interpretive element highlights both the threats to safeguarding elephants (Human-elephant conflict; habitat loss and fragmentation; poaching for ivory; climate change), and the strategies and solutions conservation organizations are successfully implementing (Elephant-friendly products and livelihoods; innovative farming and community warning systems; community engagement and coexistence education; GPS collars, camera traps, and behavior monitoring; habitat protection and restoration; railway and toad interventions; anti-poaching measures; public safety and compensation programs; international collaborations). By highlighting both the challenges and the successes, it is a powerful reminder of the resourcefulness and resilience of both the people working to conserve elephants, and the elephants themselves.Mandala
This mandala is meant to serve as a visual representation of the diversity of places where elephants are found, and people/cultures with which they coexist.The words on the map read: “Asian elephants are currently found in 13 countries of southeast Asia”
The countries are represented as different colors in the mandala and on the map: Bhutan, India, China, Cambodia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar, Laos, and Indonesia.
3D Elephant Interactive
Numbered panels invite visitors to engage in hands-on exploration of an elephant’s unique, physical adaptations. Specialized ears, feet, teeth & tusks, trunk, tail, and skin are highlighted as well as the importance of elephant dung.
Text with each specialized feature is as follows:
1. Ear – Asian elephant ears, smaller than their African cousins, can be used for cooling them through flapping and for non-verbal communication.
2. Tusk – Tusks are special upper incisors that grow continuously and are used for digging, lifting, and defense. Only male Asian elephants have tusks; females
have smaller protrusions called “tushes.”
3. Trunk – An elephant’s trunk contains 150,000 muscles for strength and precision. It acts as a nose, hand, and tool for feeding, breathing, communicating, and defense.
4. Teeth – Elephants are born with six sets of molars! As primary teeth wear down or fall out, a new set moves forward to replace them
5. Skin – Elephant skin varies in thickness, from paper-thin on the ears to an inch on the back. With sparse hair all over, it’s sensitive to touch and wrinkly to retain moisture.
6. Foot – Elephants walk on tiptoe, also known as “digitigrade.” The foot bones sit atop a thick, fibrous, shock-absorbing pad, cushioning the force of each massive step.
7. Tail – Elephant tails are tipped with long, coarse hairs that act as flyswatters. Mothers and calves may also cling to each other’s tails for reassurance and guidance.
8. Dung – Elephant dung replants forests by depositing undigested seeds and fertilizer with every pile! Many animals use the undigested plant matter in the dung as a food source.
Habitat Highlights for Elephant Welfare
Elephant Trek was constructed with elephant well-being in mind. To achieve the highest level of welfare standards, special care was taken with the inclusion of enrichment and health-related elements. These make this state-of-the-art habitat elephant-welfare-friendly year-round. This diagram calls attention to elements the visitor can see as well as those that are less visible/obvious.
The elements that are noted are as follows:
1. Sand floors
2. Heated air and floors
3. Garage door access
4. Skylights and windows
5. Timed & elevated feeders
6. Enrichment wall
7. Splash pad
8. Browse
9. Enrichment devices
10. Flexible spaces
11. BTS medical areas
12. Indoor cameras
“Join the Herd” Conservation Action Station
This interactive interpretive element provides visitors with the opportunity to choose a conservation action to take that will support elephants. Each voting option is labeled with a QR code that connects to this webpage that shares ways that visitors can help with elephant conservation. Visitors will choose a “commitment card” with which they resonate and then place it in the action they will pledge to take for elephants. The voting boxes will be emptied, and cards tallied regularly by the Conservation Impact team. The data from this will help inform our Zoo about the conservation actions that resonate most with our visitors.EEHV Lab
This sign highlights an important feature found behind the scenes at the Zoo, the EEHV lab. This lab is dedicated to studying elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV), a highly fatal disease that impacts elephants both in the wild and in human care and is especially deadly to young elephants. This lab allows the Zoo to regularly monitor our elephants through weekly blood and trunk wash samples and provide preventative care. As one of a handful of zoos with these facilities, we can not only help our elephants, but also contribute to global EEHV research working towards the development of a vaccine.Elephant Barn Yard Viewing
What’s in This Yard?
This sign helps visitors understand the importance of integrating animal welfare in a habitat. By pointing out enrichment elements, we call attention to all the Zoo is doing to maintain the highest level of animal welfare for our herd.
Items featured on this sign include:
– Open spaces
– Shallow streams/splash pads
– Shade structures
– Pool
– Elevated feeders
– Enrichment “trees”
– Environmental features
Phase 2 Coming Spring 2025
And there’s more! Next year, habitats for siamangs, Asian small clawed otters, babirusa, and rhinoceros hornbills will open!