Harry and Grace Steele Elephant Odyssey at the San Diego Zoo

The San Diego Zoo has created a journey through time, highlighting animals of the past, the present and the future in the hugely successful Harry and Grace Steele Elephant Odyssey. The 7.5 acre habitat is the largest single design and construction project ever undertaken by the zoo and features relatives of animal species that dotted the Southern California landscape more than 10,000 years ago including elephants, lions and wild horses. The project revitalized over 15% of the Zoo, replacing old-style holding pen exhibits with large open spaces where elephants, condors and 38 other species move freely and interact in ways never accomplished at any other zoo. The architecture carefully and ingeniously responds to the needs and scale of the animals, balancing everything from the jumbo-scaled Elephant Care Center down to the micro-scaled dung beetle exhibit with a carefully thought-through use of consistent materials and forms that ensure animal, keeper and guest needs are met in ways that encourage interaction and learning. Five Asian elephants formerly at the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park were relocated to join the Zoo’s three resident elephants to create an 8-member herd. The 2.5-acre elephant habitat is divided into four yards that can be opened into one large yard for the entire herd or into smaller yards to provide individual animals with opportunities for a variety of social and behavioral experiences. The Elephant Care Center’s capacity for care and treatment has achieved such success that even PETA supported transfer of three threatened elephants from a facility in Texas to Elephant Odyssey where they have successfully received care and rehabilitation available no where else in the world.