New Elephant Exhibit Sponsorship

Not only will the Elephant Exhibit house one of North America’s largest herds of African elephants, the exhibit will provide fertile ground for an emerging elephant breeding program at the N.C. Zoo. By investing in this exhibit complex, you will help cause the first elephant birth in North Carolina—an event that will bring hundreds of thousands of people to the Zoo. And, as that elephant grows up and others are born, your investment will continue to serve Zoo visitors, meeting the educational and recreational needs of North Carolina families, students and professionals.

In addition to the seven-acre elephant exhibit, a new off-exhibit holding facility will be built and equipped to meet the husbandry requirements for the larger herd we seek, as outlined in the American Zoo and Aquarium Association’s Standards for Elephant Management. This elephant housing area will also be constructed to provide a state-of-the-art breeding facility for African elephants—a species endangered in the wild and perilously close to vanishing from North America’s zoos. The facility will provide sufficient space to accommodate a prime breeding group—a family of up to six cows and their calves along with as many as two bulls. As one of the leading natural habitat zoos in the world, the Zoo stands ready to continue to meet the high standards and recommendations the American Zoo and Aquarium Association and related Species Survival Plans have set forth in order for North American zoos to continue to exhibit these magnificent animals.

The construction of this facility will position the North Carolina Zoo as a leader in the management of African elephants by ensuring that the exhibit and the holding spaces provide for the emotional, social, physical and husbandry needs of the Zoo’s elephants. This facility will provide the space and the equipment needed to engage the Zoo’s expert veterinary and animal staffs in research, husbandry practices, animal enrichment activities and medical procedures that will maximize the reproductive capacity of the Zoo’s elephant collection.

Potentially, the Zoo’s breeding activities will improve the reproductive rates of other captive African elephant populations. Already recognized worldwide for its wildlife breeding programs and elephant tracking in Cameroon, the development of a significant African elephant-breeding program will further position the North Carolina Zoo as a model and as an international leader in elephant conservation. Attachment B contains curricula vita for the Zoo’s Chief Veterinarian Dr. Mike Loomis, spearhead of the African elephant tracking program, in partnership with the World Wildlife Fund, and Senior Veterinarian Dr. Barb Wolfe. Dr. Wolfe is well-respected nationally for her extensive knowledge and experience in assisted reproduction of endangered and threatened species. She works with one of only two veterinary teams worldwide competent to provide assisted reproduction to elephants. She has earned her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine with a specialty in exotic animals, a Ph.D. in Veterinary Physiology and a B.S. from U.C., Davis in Molecular Genetics.

The African elephant consistently ranks as one of the five most popular animal species in zoos. The current lack of adequate breeding facilities and the ethical and logistic problems inherent in importing wild elephants are seriously jeopardizing the long-term viability of captive elephant populations. Unless these problems can be rectified, projections based on current trends predict that North America’s captive population of elephants will drop to almost zero in the next 15 to 25 years. The elephant births that the proposed facility should cause will be instrumental in reversing the trend and strongly influence Zoo attendance.

Contact the Development Office at 336-879-7251 for more information on how to become a sponsor.

Last modified 07/22/2004 04:24pm.