FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (May 7, 2010)

DALLAS ZOO’S GOLDEN GIRLS ARE HOME AT THE NEW GIANTS OF THE SAVANNA

The Dallas Zoo today announced that all six of the African elephants to call the new Giants of the Savanna home are now on-site and getting to know one another. They are an active group in a range of ages just like a real matriarchal elephant family in the wild. Their relatively advanced ages have led some at the Zoo to refer to the ladies as their Golden Girls. “Mamma, Stumpy, Jenny, Gypsy, Kamba, and Congo, like all elephants, are naturally social, intelligent animals,” said , Executive Director, Dallas Zoo and The Children’s Aquarium at Fair Park. “They have strong personalities, they’re older elephants, but very active. That’s why we call them our ‘Golden Girls.’ We spent a lot of time and effort creating a natural habitat to let elephants be elephants.”

“The Giants of the Savanna will allow the elephants to be more active as they are in the wild – it is a mentally and physically stimulating habitat,” said Lynn Kramer, DVM, Deputy Director for Animal Conservation and Science. “The design is based on field research. In the wild, elephants move around a lot because they are looking for food, water, and entertainment. We created an activity-based, multi-species habitat with the same incentives to encourage them to travel throughout the entire space. The Giants of the Savanna habitat is one of the largest zoological elephant habitats in the world. We’ll observe how they use their space and how an active lifestyle impacts their health and then share that information with our fellow zoos and researchers studying elephants in the wild.”

About the Dallas Zoo’s Golden Girls.

Jenny.  A Dallas Zoo resident since December 1986 when Jenny, described as vocal and playful by those who know her best, retired from circus life.  The African elephant soon will celebrate her 34th birthday with some of her favorite treats: watermelon, corn on the cob and bananas.  Jenny loves a nice pedicure and enjoys having her toenails groomed.

Gypsy.  Known as an instigator of mischief, friends say the 28-year-old Gypsy is eager and rambunctious.  Gypsy, like her pal Jenny, is retired from circus and movie life and enjoys watermelon. She can often be seen playing with her favorite green ball, loves attention, and learning new things.

Mamma.  Mamma is often called an old soul.  This curious mother and grandmother is known for her sweet tooth, favoring sugar cane, and tidy eating habits (see her rake food into a neat pile and daintily scoop it up).  A childhood injury left Mamma, soon to celebrate the big 4-0, with a small hole in the end of her trunk, which she has learned to compress while eating.

Stumpy.  Fluent in both German and English, the independent, confident, and protective Stumpy is the senior member of our Golden Girls at age 52.  Very maternal despite never having her own calf, Stumpy adopted a young Mamma when she first came to the United States in the 1970s and the two have been the best of friends ever since. She loves to swim and enjoys snacking on coconuts and trees.

Congo.  A circus retiree, the 32-year-old Congo is called smart, investigative and inquisitive and is enjoying exploring all of the new things she can do at the savanna.  She loves to munch on bamboo, stripping layers of fibers and leaves off for a good chew and enjoys regular pedicures with toenail filing.

Kamba.  Many describe the petite Kamba as friendly, calm and cautious.  A former D Magazine cover elephant and TV-star, she and best pal Congo have left celebrity life and the circus behind for retirement on the savanna.  Fond of cantaloupe, bamboo and general grooming sessions, this 30-year-old is the smallest elephant in the family.

About the Golden Girls’ New Home

Elephant Water Hole.  Guests can interact with African elephants at the Elephant Waterhole, featuring a river for the elephants to splash and swim, and play stations where they can pull one rope to soak themselves or pull another rope to shower guests. During snack time, the elephants can push against a custom-built African fig tree, using their weight to make it wobble and release nuts and fruit, just as they do in the wild.  A shaded animal enrichment and viewing area allows keepers to talk to guests about elephant behavior and answer questions.

The Elephant Savanna.  The south habitat is primary territory of the Dallas Zoo’s Golden Girls, a matriarchal family of six African elephants. With wallows, watering holes, trees to push and rub against, and several enrichment and activity stations strategically placed throughout the savanna, guests will see active elephants throughout the day. The south and north habitats can be opened to one another, allowing the elephants and their hoofed friends to mix and mingle as they might in the wild. The Elephant Savanna is an active elephant study facility, with experts collecting data to be shared with scientists at other zoos and those working in the field. We study communication among elephants, longevity, foot care (10,000 pounds is a lot to support), staying healthy and active, and ways to improve their quality of life.

Simmons Safari Base Camp & Observation Deck.  Giants of the Savanna guests can stop in at the Simmons Safari Base Camp to play the Dallas Zoo’s own touch-screen elephant video game, enjoy a demonstration on the insects of the savanna, and watch the elephant tracker to learn how these giants spend their day.  From the beautiful deck, take in the best view in the habitat and overlook the entire Elephant Savanna.  While you’re here, have your Dallas Zoo passport stamped!

The Elephant Barn.  With a $2 million price tag, the technologically advanced elephant barn offers numerous amenities.  Climate controlled, the barn is equipped with radiant floor heating that warms the sealed but soft, padded floor in the winter. Movable walls and transoms provide cross-ventilation in the summer.  A community room with seven-foot-deep sand floors is the perfect place for elephant interaction.  To stimulate these accomplished diggers, zookeepers can bury food and toys in the sand for the elephants to find, or they can create hills for them to cross as they enter and leave the barn.  The building has a seven-and-a-half-ton winch spanning the length of the barn, so if an elephant needs help, caregivers have the much-needed muscle to help move the animals to any point in the barn.  The winch serves double-duty as an enrichment tool since it can be used to hang food high in ropes or fire hose baskets, allowing the elephants to reach up and collect food with their trunks, an activity they would do in the wild.

About the Dallas Zoo.  The Dallas Zoo is the largest zoological experience in Texas, with a 106-acre park, thousands of animals, and an education department that offers fascinating, fun programs for all ages.  It is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums.  American Airlines is the official airline of the Dallas Zoo. The Zoo is located at 650 S. R.L. Thornton Freeway (I-35 at Marsalis).  The Zoo is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $12 for ages 12 and above, $9 for ages 11 – 3, and free for ages 2 and younger and DZS members.  For more information call (214) 670-6826, visit www.DallasZoo.com, or download our free iPhone app today.

About the Giants of the Savanna.  Take a trip on an African Safari at the Dallas Zoo. Opening May 28, 2010, the Dallas Zoo’s new Giants of the Savanna habitat provides an interactive experience for our guests built around the many different species of animals that will call the Giants of the Savanna home: elephants, giraffes, impalas, zebras, ostriches, lions, warthogs, red river hogs, guinea fowl, and cheetahs. Learn more about these animals while experiencing the unique aspects of their new habitat firsthand. As the summer unfolds and the animals adjust to their new home, each visit will be a unique experience.