These Elephants Live In Luxury

The elephants at the Smithsonian National Zoo have a new home and what a home it is! Here are some pictures of their new enclosure. Learn more about their new enclosure and see more pictures from an elephants point of view on their website.

Here is the sand-filled Elephant Community Center. Here they find fresh cut bamboo, a new toy hanging from the scratching post, and a splash pool equipped with a foot pedal that allows the elephants to activate an overhead shower. The skylights allow for natural light to filter into the enclosure.

Shanthi is carrying her favorite toy into the community area of the enclosure.

One of three pools in the new enclosure. This one is shallow and safer for older elephants and young calves. The other two pools are deeper and perfect for swimming and community bathing.

The elephants even have their own walking trail. The Elephant Trails trek is a one-of-a-kind 1/2 mile path that winds around a hill and overlooks American Trail. Here you see Shanthi foraging the vegetation that runs along the side of the trail.