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Fort Worth Zoo
Elephant Springs opened April 15 at the Fort Worth Zoo.
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Olaf Growald
Animals can splash around in the Elephant Springs exhibit's 400,000-gallon river.
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Fort Worth Zoo
The multi-yard habitat features a variety of interactive water elements, including a 400,000-gallon river, numerous waterfalls, and a water tower.
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Olaf Growald
Elephant Springs features multiple water elements, including a waterfall.
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Olaf Growald
Four elephants – three females and one male (the fourth not pictured) – made an appearance on opening day.
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Fort Worth Zoo
Adjacent to the elephant habitat is also a rhino habitat.
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Fort Worth Zoo
Detailed theming accompanies the animal habitats at Elephant Springs.
Big things are happening over at the Fort Worth Zoo.
On Thursday, the Fort Worth Zoo unveiled Elephant Springs, the second of four phases in its $100 million capital campaign.
Introducing the latest exhibit was zoo executive director Michael Fouraker, followed by Ramona Bass, chair of the Fort Worth Zoological Association Board of Directors.
“I’m really excited to show you all this,” Bass says. “It’s a very different exhibit than anything we’ve ever had. Now you can really interact with [the elephants], and they can interact with you.”
Four elephants — three females and one male — made an appearance on opening day as they were led by their keepers into the new multi-yard habitat featuring a variety of interactive water elements, including a 400,000-gallon river, numerous waterfalls and a water tower.
Designers worked closely with the elephant keepers to construct a natural, immersive experience not only for the animals but for the guests as well. Many of the various elements seen throughout the floating village surrounding the habitat were hand-painted by zoo employees in collaboration with local artists, including Kristen Soble.
In walking the property and making suggestions for the minutiae, including everything from the stain of the wood to colors of the railings, Bass was influential in the design throughout the entire project. “That’s my favorite part of the job,” she says. “I love designing these exhibits.”
What the public won’t be able to see behind the scenes is a brand-new barn with sand floors and independent stalls for each elephant, a prep kitchen, food pantry and hayloft, indoor and outdoor training facilities, and a state-of-the-art water filtration system to filter and recycle the water, which acts as a major source of enjoyment for the animals.
“Fort Worth Zoo is known worldwide as a leader in elephant and rhino conservation, and our new facility will ensure our efforts well into the future,” Fouraker says.
The multimillion A Wilder Vision campaign debuted in 2016 to ensure the survival of many endangered species, and construction is already underway for the final phases. Hunters of African & Asian Predators and Forests & Jungles are anticipated to open in spring 2023 and 2025, respectively.
“We are thrilled with these amazing new habitats, and I must thank the citizens of Fort Worth who continue to be so generous to the support of the zoo,” Bass says. “None of this would be possible without them.”
Read more about the Fort Worth Zoo's elephant conservation efforts here.
