For Release:
November 21, 2003
Contact: Peper
Long 
202-673-0206
Sketch
of New Elephant Yard
National Zoo Opens Expanded
Elephant Yard on Kandula’s
Birthday
On Tuesday, November 25, the Smithsonian’s
National Zoological Park will open an expanded elephant
yard designed specifically for the Asian elephant bull “Kandula” on
his second birthday. At 7:30 a.m., media are invited
to watch Kandula and his mother, Shanthi, as they are
released into their expanded home.
The expanded elephant yard – made possible by generous funding from Friends
of the National Zoo – is only one step of the National Zoo’s revitalization
plans. This yard, which was the former rhinoceros yard, has been fortified in
order to hold the elephant bull as he grows bigger.
The expanded yard opening on Tuesday provides Kandula with 16,600 square feet
in which he can play, revel, and most importantly, grow, while the revitalization
plans continue. An important asset of the expanded yard is a new barrier system
that will ensure Kandula’s safe containment, while allowing keepers to
manage mature elephants through protective contact. The barrier system, which
includes a hydraulic gate, is designed to withstand approximately 10,000 pounds
of vertical and horizontal force.
The long-term plans for the Zoo’s elephant facility – part of Asia
Trail – will triple the indoor and outdoor space available to the elephant
herd, and accommodate more than one bull elephant and up to six cows. These plans
now being designed, and construction is slated to begin in 2005.
Kandula, the first male elephant born at the National Zoo, is a product of artificial
insemination, and was born on Nov. 25, 2001. He has gained an average of nearly
two pounds per day from his birth weight, and as of this summer, he weighed 1,686
pounds. Bull elephants grow to approximately 10,000-12,000 pounds.
This Sunday, November 23 at 9 p.m. EST, the Discovery Channel presents a 1-hour
special that follows Kandula’s first year of life. This program tells his
story from the pioneering science that made his conception possible, to his breathtaking
birth, and through the National Zoo’s fervent efforts to keep Kandula healthy.
Founded in 1889, the Smithsonian's National Zoological Park exhibits living animal
and plant collections that celebrate, study and protect the diversity of animals
and their habitats. Each year, nearly three million visitors enjoy the 163-acre
park, which is free of charge. The National Zoo is a leading research center
for conservation and reproductive biology, with scientists working at the Zoo
as well as the 3,200-acre Conservation and Research Center in Front Royal, Va.
Currently, there are approximately 2,600 animals from 435 species in the Zoo's
collection.
For more information – and to schedule coverage, contact Peper Long, National
Zoo Office of Public Affairs, (202) 673-0206.
