• We’re just a few months away from our late May opening of Giants of the Savanna! There’s something new being constructed every day, and it looks magnificent! The giraffe yards and feeding areas are being finished and landscaped.
• Meanwhile, the predator area has several unique areas where you can view lions, cheetah, and even see a wildlife training program presented up close with one of our keepers. You’ll be amazed when you visit the Serengeti Grill, with great food and spectacular cat views!
• They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so we’ll leave you with the latest and greatest progress from our largest habitat in nearly 20 years…Giants of the Savanna!

Feb. 2010
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Feb. 2009

Dallas City Council Unanimously Roars its Approval for Giants of the Savanna
On April 1, 2009 the Dallas City Council voted unanimously in favor of constructing the Dallas Zoo’s new 11-acre Giants of the Savanna habitat. Scheduled to open in 2010, the new habitat will take visitors on safari as they experience and learn about giraffes, elephants, lions, cheetah, and many other African species. As part of its education and conservation mission, the Zoo will partner with some of the leading elephant researchers in Africa to work on the conservation of endangered elephants and other African wildlife species.

Giants of the Savanna will combine the knowledge and resources of some of the top zoological architects, horticulturists, animal specialists, and wildlife researchers in the world. The 11-acre site will feature a large savanna with grasses, trees, and multiple swimming holes. The expansive savanna will be planted with a special soil mixture that will keep the habitat lush, soft, and green year-round.

The $30 million habitat is funded by 2006 voter-approved bonds and private donations. Giants of the Savanna is the largest Dallas Zoo project since the opening of the Wilds of Africa nearly 20 years ago.

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.

Dallas Zoo Welcomes New African Elephant

The Dallas Zoo welcomed its newest pachyderm into the family on March 31, 2009. Gypsy, a 27-year old female African elephant arrived at the Dallas Zoo from a private facility where she had spent years traveling for entertainment programs. Gypsy will spend the next several months getting acclimated to her new surroundings. She will share her new home with elephants and other African wildlife in the new 11-acre Giants of the Savanna habitat, scheduled to open next year.

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.