After more than three years of work, the Safari Park’s new elephant habitat is set to open to the public Thursday, providing visitors up-close viewing of the park’s herd of eight endangered African savannah elephants on a 13-acre site. The habitat, named Denny Sanford Elephant Valley after its l ead donor, is within the footprint of the old elephant area but with flatter topography and twice the amount of usable space for the park’s herd. Officials say the habitat provides an “immersive journey” for guests, designed to have them feel as though they are walking beside elephants on pathways and over a bridge that overlooks two habitat areas. At spots, guests can be as near as 15 feet to the pachyderms — close enough to admire their luxuriously thick eyelashes. An African savanna elephant rubs against another one in the new Elephant Valley. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune) The opening of the habitat comes as the Association of Zoos and Aquariums has set new accreditation standards that prioritize animal care and herd “wellbeing” rather than setting minimum requirements for zoos to follow. One example? The old guidelines said accredited zoos needed to have at least three elephants in a herd, a rule that prompted the Los Angeles Zoo to halt its elephant program in 2025 and send its two remaining elephants to a Tulsa zoo. The new standards represent the “next big step” in the evolution of elephant care and are reflected in San Diego’s new project, said Dan Ashe, the AZA’s president and CEO, who plans to check out the habitat this week. He said the association is committed “to managing elephants as elephants, in multi-generational herds, and allowing them the space and the opportunity to do what they want to do, to behave as elephants and as elephants do in nature.” Elephants in AZA facilities must have access to resources that allow them to exhibit natural behaviors such as bathing and dusting, and the association calls for animals to be visually inspected and behaviorally assessed daily. A veterinarian with experience in large mammal medicine must be available at all times. The new 13-acre Elephant Valley at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park has twice the usable space as the prior habitat, even though it's in the same footprint. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune) San Diego Zoo Safari Park is among a number of zoos investing in improving elephant habitats, including the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, which recently built a 5-acre habitat for its eight Asian elephants. Ashe said the Brookfield Zoo near Chicago is also planning a new elephant habitat. Zoos, he said, engage in a little friendly competition to have the best habitat, and others will likely look at the Safari Park “and say, ‘Wow, look what they’re doing, can’t we do that?’” More than 30 North American zoos have shut down their elephant programs since the 1990s, while others are creating or expanding their programs. “I wouldn’t say there’s a trend moving away from elephants,” Ashe said. “There is a trend for some facilities to decide that elephants are not in their future, and that they would like to focus on other things, and other facilities are deciding they want to participate in the elephant program and making very large investments to make sure they can do that and do that in conformance with our standards.” In the future, he expects more zoos will have multigenerational herds in social groupings “that allow them to meet their collective and individual needs” rather than care for two or three animals. While Thursday’s opening will provide park visitors with their first glimpse of the space, the elephant herd is already familiar with it. The animals remained onsite during the entire construction project. Habitat workarounds Early in the planning stage, officials considered relocating the animals but decided against it. It “just didn’t feel like that was the best decision for the herd,” said Kristi Burtis, vice president of wildlife care for San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Once it was decided the animals would stay, officials researched how the elephants utilized their habitat space and used data to minimize impacts. The construction work was guided by a “herd first” approach, Burtis said, and “we had zero issues with the elephants.” African savanna elephants roam around the new Elephant Valley. They stayed in the habitat during construction, as workers moved around their needs. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune) When construction crews needed access to sites, care staffers would place “abundant” water and food in different areas to encourage the animals to move on their own. The work areas were then blocked with large shipping crates. After the containers were removed, the animals would immediately go to inspect what had been done. “So we definitely had the opportunity to see their behavior and essentially their excitement of, ‘There’s a new experience coming, and I’m eager to get in there and to see what’s different,’” she said. Having the animals in the changing spaces created some funny interactions. Burtis recalled how the horticulture team put in a large patch of sod to study how much sun the spot received and what irrigation was needed. Once the space was opened up, two young elephants immediately ripped up sections of the turf and put it on their heads, Burtis said, “and walked around like they were very proud of their accomplishment.” After that, the team put down seed where they wanted to grow grass. Telling a story Patrick McTigue, the interim senior vice president and executive director of Safari Park, said a lot of time was spent refining the story the habitat tells to visitors — not only about the animals but about the experiences of people who live near them. The main path into the habitat includes “felled tree” archways and features elephant footprints in the concrete. It shows that elephants are ecosystem engineers and architects of their environment. Visitors can get an eye-level view of the animals in a viewing cave, which features glass windows camouflaged to look like rocks on the elephants’ side. The dining room at the Mkutano House, a two-story restaurant and event space at Elephant Valley. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune) At the center of the habitat is a new two-story restaurant dubbed the Mkutano House, inspired by lodges found on African safaris. Its decor reflects Kenyan art and culture, including colorful beadwork. “When we think about the future and how to engage our community and our conservation mission, we want to make sure that we’re authentically weaving the story in. This isn’t just an elephant habitat, it’s a full story, and it really transforms the heart of the Safari Park,” McTigue said. The goal, he said, is to grab people’s hearts and help them develop a deeper love for wildlife and nature. Patrick McTigue, interim senior vice president and executive director of the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, opens a door to the Mkutano House. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune) The project was first imagined back in 2019, with construction work beginning in November 2022. Officials initially said they expected it to be completed by 2025. Elephants in zoos remain a controversial topic. Some activists say Safari Park’s expanded habitat remains a far cry from the size of a wild elephant’s home range. Critics also worry about future breeding at the park — they say calves born in zoos can face shortened lifespans and will be in human care their entire lives. The activist group In Defense of Animals plans to document the animals’ conditions and behaviors in the new habitat, said Courtney Scott, an elephant consultant for the group. Officials have planned an opening ceremony for Thursday morning, with speeches scheduled to be given by zoo officials and local elected leaders. Elephant Valley is set to officially open to guests at noon. ...read more read less