Contact: Jason Jacobs, (323) 644-4273
Elephants of Asia Honored by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums
“Since opening in late 2010, over 2.8 million visitors have experienced Elephants of Asia” said Zoo Director John Lewis. “We are extremely proud to be honored with this award. Many Zoo staff, volunteers and community leaders worked together to build Elephants of Asia and this award validates the tremendous effort that went into constructing this habitat.”
“This is a well-deserved award that shows the Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Garden is on the leading edge of zoological exhibits in North America,” said AZA president and CEO Jim Maddy. “This exhibit demonstrates the Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Garden’s innovation and dedication to the best in animal care and public education.” Elephants of Asia tells the story of the Asian elephant in four homeland countries-India, Thailand, China and Cambodia. The habitat talks about the importance of the elephant’s role in the culture of those nations as well as the challenges they face; in addition, the habitat empowers Zoo guests to make a direct contribution to support elephant conservation in Southeast Asia. The habitat has many features dedicated to the health and welfare of the elephants including bathing pools and showers, varied topography, enrichment opportunities and a 16,600 square foot barn. Elephants of Asia is home to three elephants, Billy, a 27 year old bull and Tina and Jewel, two cows in their mid to late 40s. |
The Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens is pleased to announce that Elephants of Asia was awarded a Significant Achievement award from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) today at the AZA’s Annual Conference being held in Phoenix, Arizona. The AZA exhibit award recognizes excellence in the area of live animal display and exhibit design by an AZA Institution. ###
