Giants of the Savanna Opens Next Year
The Dallas Zoo, the largest zoo in Texas, is excited to announce plans for Giants of the Savanna. The 11-acre site will feature magnificent mammals such as African elephants, giraffes, lions, cheetah, and a variety of African hoofstock.
Scheduled to open in early 2010 and funded through voter-approved bonds and private contributions, visitors will have up close encounters with many of the species in The Savanna, while learning important education and conservation information about the wildlife.
The majority of the new habitat will be dedicated toward elephants and giraffes. Visitors will enjoy feeding the world's tallest land mammal at the interactive giraffe exhibit. The Dallas Zoo's African elephant will be joined by several companions in a state-of-the-art habitat designed to provide exercise and enrichment activities in a natural setting.
The Savanna also will feature water holes and mud pits surrounded by natural landscaping and native African grasses. The animals will have access to spacious climate-controlled holding facilities.
Wildlife Conservation in Zoos
The Dallas Zoo and other zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) contribute to many wildlife conservation programs, including several of the 85 elephant conservation programs worldwide. In the wild, African elephant numbers are declining rapidly due to poaching and habitat loss. In 1970 there were nearly 1.4 million African elephants. Today their numbers have been reduced to 400,000.
Firsthand Experience
Jack Hanna, world-renowned wildlife expert and host of the television series Into the Wild, agrees. Jack has made countless trips to see African animals in their natural habitats and helped raise awareness of the efforts to conserve the world’s largest land mammals. Click here to find out about the importance of zoological parks and the impact they have on elephant education and conservation.
Jack Hanna Discusses the Importance of Zoos
The Dallas Zoo’s Community Impact
In 2008, the Dallas Zoo celebrated the largest attendance in its recorded history with more than 670,000 visitors. In today’s economy, the Dallas Zoo continues to be one of the most affordable family attractions in the region and it is one of the largest cultural attractions in the area, providing educational opportunities to more than 200,000 children annually.
The Dallas Zoo is a cornerstone for current and future development in the southern sector of Dallas. In addition to providing exceptional experiences for both visitors and wildlife, construction of The Savanna will generate much-needed jobs and at the same time, enhance the Zoo’s multi-million dollar economic impact to the City of Dallas.
More updates on the progress of this exciting exhibit in the months to come!
Giants of the Savanna Habitat Design
A Portion of The Savanna Might Look Like This...
... or This!
Photos courtesy of the Dallas Zoo and Byron Jorjorian for the Nashville Zoo.
