The next area of the zoo is it's previous new exhibition:
the Toyota Elephant Passage is a well appointed large area dedicated to a set
of Asian Animals, most notably the Asian Elephant, Elephas maximus. There are also Greater One-horned
Rhinoceros, Northern White-cheeked Gibbon, Clouded Leopard, Small-clawed
Otters, and the Malayan Tapir. The
exhibition space contains 4 large open areas in which to rotate the Elephants
and Rhinoceros. Additionally, the
Gibbons have free reign of three separate islands with overhead lines on which
to travel between each.
In the way that the Smithsonian National Zoo has chosen to
keep only female Asian Elephants, the Denver Zoo specializes in males. This is Groucho, a 42-year-old male and
the senior member of the trio.
I had a wonderful conversation with one of the Elephant
Keepers who shared the zoo's present hopes for both of their younger males,
Billy, age 8 and Bodhi, age 12.
The zoo is currently working with Bodhi to teach him how to mount in the
hopes that one day he, and then Billy after him, will help to keep this iconic
species from extinction. Billy
remained in the large shelter, while Bodhi came out into one of the yards.
This structure was designed to both provide a shady place to
observe the Elephants and as an example of a structure that was damaged by a
rogue bull Elephant in India.
The islands of the Gibbons pass over the boardwalk where the guests observe them and the Rhinoceros and Elephants.
Like Howler Monkeys,
Northern White-cheeked Gibbons,
Nomascus leucogenys, reveal their gender by their coloration. Males are black, and females are beige.
This beautiful female Greater One-horned Rhinoceros,
Rhinoceros unicornis, was a real treat and more than made up for the ones I was
unable to see in Omaha at the Henry Doorly after the train broke...
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