Elephant Trails

Elephants are very intelligent, so the Smithsonian’s National Zoo provides them with enrichment activities to ensure they stay sharp. The enrichment program provides physically and mentally stimulating toys, activities and environments for the Zoo's animals. An exhibit’s design is carefully and deliberately planned to ensure the comfort, safety and health of the animals. Each enrichment is tailored to give an animal the opportunity to use its natural behaviors in novel and exciting ways.

At the Zoo, the elephants receive daily, weekly, monthly and even annual enrichment to ensure that no two days are ever the same. Keepers may add novel objects — like musical instruments, tractor tires, bungee chords, scratch trees or boomer balls — to encourage the elephants to play with and manipulate objects. Near the top of the hill, elephants are attracted to a 10-foot-tall tree to which keepers have added toys, browse and food-filled paper bags.

Often, keepers will entice the elephants to investigate these objects by hiding some of their favorite foods within. Specially designed nooks and puzzle feeders challenge the elephants to think and problem solve to retrieve the treats inside. Elephants are able to learn quickly, so keepers continually alter and enhance enrichment objects to keep the experience fresh, fun, and interesting for the animals. Hanging above an elephant’s head, bamboo on the zipline encourages natural foraging behavior. In addition to bamboo, elephants eat about 100 pounds of food each day including seasonal fruits and vegetables, hay and grain supplements.

Enrichment has been incorporated into the design of the enclosure as well. Tall shade structures provide protection from the sun in warmer months, heat in the cooler months, and a source for hanging bungees for the elephants to push and pull. Trees and foliage provide visual interest as well as shade, foraging opportunities and privacy, giving the elephants many options in how they use the habitats. Looking for a warm spot for a nap, elephants follow the afternoon sun as it peeks through the branches of large shade trees on the ridge. The shade changes location throughout the day, encouraging the elephants to move about the habitats to regulate their own body temperature.

Within the Elephant Community Center and in the surrounding outdoor yards, the elephants have their choice of four pools for bathing, swimming and playing in the warmer months. The Elephant Trek provides outdoor exercise experiences for the Zoo’s elephants. The quarter-mile path winds its way through the woods between Elephant Trails and the Bird House, simulating the type of elevated terrain of their natural habitats.

Social interaction is a critical component of caring for elephants. At the Zoo, the elephants socialize with each other and with their keepers. Every day, each elephant has the opportunity to train with a keeper. In these sessions, keepers cue the elephants to present their trunks, feet, ears, shoulders and rear ends to the keepers for a close inspection.

Elephants always have a choice to participate or not, but most of them seem to enjoy the challenge of the routine. Most importantly, these sessions allow keepers to closely monitor the health of the animals and look for any injuries. The Zoo uses positive reinforcement training; every time the elephants do a behavior asked of them, they're rewarded with fruit or leaf-eater biscuits — two of their favorite treats.

The Zoo’s elephants are participating in a multi-year behavior study looking at how they spend their day. This study helps the animal care team assess any changes that should be made to the enrichment program.

Restrooms are located at the Elephant Outpost and feature light-hearted information and graphics that highlight fun facts about elephant bodily functions.

Asia Trail is located adjacent to the Elephant Community Center. Visitors can observe giant pandas, red pandas, Asian small-clawed otters, fishing cats, clouded leopards and sloth bears at this location. Each day around 1:15 p.m. keepers toss novel foods and enrichment items to the sloth bears (weather dependent).

American Trail is located adjacent to the Elephant Outpost. Visitors can observe seals, sea lions, gray wolves, beavers, ravens and bald eagles at this location. At 11:15 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. daily, visitors can watch training demonstrations that highlight the pinnipeds’ natural behaviors.

The Small Mammal House is located across from the entrance to the Elephant Outpost. Visitors can observe more than 30 species and attend Meet a Small Mammal demonstrations at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. daily.

Elephant Trails is more than an exhibit; it is also an extensive conservation program built on decades of Zoo science. For more than 50 years, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute scientists have been at the forefront of studying Asian elephants at the Zoo and in their native habitats. Together, they are creating a comprehensive view of Asian elephant biology, behavior, reproduction, genetics, migration, elephant endotheliotropic virus (EEHV), and the challenges surrounding human-elephant conflict. Because of its existing relations with U.S. and foreign governments, non-governmental organizations, and major academic and zoological institutions in elephant range countries, the Zoo is uniquely positioned to spearhead efforts that improve life for Asian elephants in zoos and save them in the wild.

Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus (EEHV)

EEHV is the greatest threat to the Asian elephants today with a fatality rate of 80 percent. First identified by Zoo and SCBI scientists have identified more than 60 cases of EEHV in the global elephant population in human care since it was first documented. But EEHV not only affectsAsian elephants in human care—it has been the cause of death of more than 20 orphan and wild elephant calves within Asia. The Zoo and SCBI have conducted ground-breaking research on EEHV and our herpesvirus laboratory is the primary worldwide resource of information, testing and research for the elephant community.

Reproduction and Health

The Endocrine Research Lab is the only facility in the United States providing extensive monitoring services for tracking the reproductive health of zoo elephants. Janine Brown and her staff work with dozens of zoos to conduct hormone evaluations to assess the reproductive status of hundreds of female elephants.

Behavioral Research

Although scientists are very familiar with the interaction and communication of African elephants, they know almost nothing about Asian elephant sociality. Elephant Trails will provide scientists with unparalleled opportunities to study elephant behavior, including female interactions, cow/calf relationships, bull behavior, cognition, mate choice and more.

Geographic Information System

While much research attention has been focused on African elephants, very little is known about their Asian cousins. Being forest dwellers, Asian elephants are extremely difficult to study. Asian elephant habitat has declined by 70 percent during the past 30 years, and presently fewer than 40,000 Asian elephants remain in the wild. Scientists at SCBI’s Geographic Information Systems (GIS) lab use satellite imagery and ground studies to track and study Asian elephants and their habitat.

Mitigating Human-elephant Conflict

People and elephants have co-existed in Asia for thousands of years. However, dramatic changes in how people interact with land and elephants have caused a significant increase in people-elephant conflicts. To help solve this problem, the Zoo and SCBI are working with Asian leaders to implement land-use strategies that will reduce conflict between wild elephants and farmers and developing tools for managing and protecting Asian elephants in areas that are threatened by agricultural conversion.

Genetics

Scientists know little about the size and structure of wild elephant populations and the genes that are necessary for survival. Combining non-invasive genetic techniques with satellite tracking and other methods, the Zoo and SCBI are working with local partners to conduct vital research about Asian elephant population biology and genetics.

Training the Next Generation

Training and mentoring future scientists and conservationists is one of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute’s greatest strengths and an effective conservation tool. Species are saved by the combined efforts of scientists, researchers, animal care staff, and members of the public who share knowledge about the plight of Asian elephants. The Zoo and SCBI’s training and mentorship programs provide support for aspiring elephant experts from the U.S. and Asia, including pre- and post-graduate fellowships, elephant veterinary training workshops and Asian elephant professional internships in Zoo research departments.

Green Design

The Smithsonian's National Zoo strives to be a conservation leader in everyday Zoo operations by utilizing recycling technologies, alternative energy and environmentally sustainable materials.

Sustainable design practices abound in Elephant Trails facilities. The buildings are LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) gold certified—an internationally recognized green building certification system. Green features include:

40 geothermal wells that heat the barn's walls and floor in winter and cool them in the summer. The wells provide a renewable, energy-efficient source for heating and cooling.
Operable skylights throughout the Elephant Barn enable natural lighting and reduce the use of electricity. Shade cloths are designed to allow heat to exit the roof and bring fresh air in through the building's doors, cooling it in warm weather.
A green roof — the barn's roof is covered with vegetation that absorbs rainwater, provides insulation, creates a habitat for wildlife, and helps to maintain indoor air temperatures.

Asian elephant

Females Trong Nhi and Nhi Linh, the Zoo's newest elephants, arrived on Nov. 7, 2022. They were a gift to the Smithsonian from the Rotterdam Zoo in South Holland, Netherlands. Trong Nhi was born May 13, 2003, at the Rotterdam Zoo. Her daughter, Nhi Linh, was born Aug. 10, 2013, at the same facility.

Female Bozie was born around 1975 and lived at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage in Sri Lanka. She has moved around several times, first arriving at the Lincoln Park Zoo in 1976 and ending up at the Baton Rouge Zoo in 1998. When her companion died, she made her latest move to the Smithsonian's National Zoo in May 2013, where she quickly bonded with Shanthi and Ambika. Bozie is easily identified by her pale gray skin tone and by her vocalizations; when she becomes excited, she will squeak, honk and trumpet!

Just one year after Bozie’s arrival, female Kamala arrived at the Zoo in May 2014, along with her daughter, Maharani, and an unrelated female, Swarna. Previously, she lived at the Calgary Zoo and, like Shanthi and Bozie, was born around 1975 and lived at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage in Sri Lanka until 1976 when she was transported to Canada. Her first calf, a male named Chanda, was the first Asian elephant born in Canada. Kamala can easily be identified by the missing notch in her left ear.

Along with Kamala and Maharani, Swarna traveled from the Calgary Zoo to the Smithsonian's National Zoo in May 2014. Born in Sri Lanka around 1975, Swarna lived alongside Kamala, Bozie and Shanthi at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage until 1976. She is the most “petite” of the Zoo’s elephants, and the outer edges of her ears are a distinctive pink. Although she may be small in stature, Swarna has a large personality and will act dominant at times. When she does, Bozie typically steps in to keep the peace between the herd.

Maharani or “Rani,” as she is affectionately called, is one of the tallest elephants. She was born July 14, 1990 to mother Kamala. Her name means “princess” in Hindi; true to that name, she expects attention, acts out occasionally and looks to Kamala for direction when faced with something new. Although Maharani has had three pregnancies while at the Calgary Zoo, none of the calves survived.

Male Asian elephant Spike arrived at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo on March 23, 2018. He weighs approximately 13,000 pounds. He was born July 2, 1981, at Zoo Miami. After Hurricane Andrew swept through Florida and damaged part of Zoo Miami’s elephant habitat in August 1992, Spike was relocated to the Calgary Zoo in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, where he shared a habitat with Kamala, Swarna and Maharani. Spike returned to Florida in September 2013 when he was transferred to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. The Zoo has a recommendation to breed Spike and Maharani from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan.

Until she passed away at an estimated age of 72, the Zoo’s oldest elephant and matriarch of the herd was Ambika. Born in India around 1948, she was captured in the Coorg forest when she was about 8 years old. She worked as a logging elephant until 1961, when she was given to the Smithsonian's National Zoo as a gift from the children of India. Ambika lived at the Zoo for 59 years and was one of the most researched elephants in the world.

Female Shanthi lived at the Zoo for more than 40 years until she passed away at an estimated age of 45. Born in Sri Lanka around 1975, Shanthi lived at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage until 1976 when she arrived at the Smithsonian's National Zoo as a gift from the children of Sri Lanka. She birthed two calves: Kumari in 1993 and Kandula in 2001. Kumari died of the elephant endotheliotropic virus (EEHV) in 1995; Kandula currently lives at the Oklahoma City Zoo. During her 44-year-long tenure at the Zoo, she made significant contributions to the conservation community’s knowledge about the biology, reproduction, diseases and ecology of this critically endangered species.