The world’s largest land mammal needs our help in a big way.

At the National Zoo, we are doing all we can to save Asian elephants from extinction and provide the best possible care for them in zoos. To help accomplish these goals, we launched a project called Elephant Trails.

Donate now!Elephants need your help, too. Right now, as part of the Elephant Trails exhibit, we are building an Elephant Exercise Trek in one of the Zoo’s most beautiful, wooded areas. This state-of-the-art trail will allow our elephants to exercise, forage, and behave much as they would in the wild. Your generous contribution will help us raise the $500,000 needed to complete the trek.

Steps in the Right Direction

Meandering through the Zoo’s forest canopy, the Elephant Exercise Trek will provide elephants Shanthi, Ambika, Kandula—and future members of the herd—with physical and mental stimulation as they walk along the wooded path. This innovative trek is the first of its kind, and will allow visitors to watch fascinating elephant interactions in a stunning setting.

footprints

Room to Roam

Along with the trek, the Elephant Trails exhibit also includes a spacious elephant community center and enormous outdoor yards. Inside, the elephants’ new home will feature soft, natural flooring and nearly five times the current indoor space. Outdoors, we will add two habitats with expanded water features and much more space for elephants to engage in natural behaviors.

On the Path to Conservation

The Elephant Trails exhibit is actually part of the Zoo’s larger campaign to save Asian elephants. Designed to protect the animals’ future, this elephant program includes comprehensive breeding, education, and research initiatives.

Unless we act now, Asian elephants could soon be extinct. Human-elephant conflict and habitat loss have decreased wild populations by 70 percent. Asian elephants in zoos are facing challenges, too. Zoo populations have significantly declined and could disappear within our lifetime.

footprints

Be a Trail Blazer

With your help, the National Zoo can build the Elephant Exercise Trek. We will thank you for your gift in many ways.

Help us build a new trek for Asian elephants at the Zoo. With your support, we can make a huge difference in the care and conservation of the world’s largest land mammal. click toDonate now

Sincerely,  
John Berry
Director
Smithsonian’s National Zoo
Robert J. Lamb
Executive Director
Friends of the National Zoo

P.S. Learn more about the Zoo’s efforts to save Asian elephants.

Gifts of $100+

  • A one-of-a-kind elephant pin handmade from elephant poo paper
  • Recognition in the Visitor Center’s Asian elephant lobby display for two years
  • An invitation to the grand opening of the new Elephant Barn

Gifts of $500+

  • A 4” x 8” brick installed in the new exhibit area and engraved with two lines of text
  • Recognition in Smithsonian Zoogoer, FONZ Annual Report, lobby display, and Zoo website
  • An invitation to the grand opening of the new Elephant Barn

Gifts of $1,000+

  • An 8” x 8” brick installed in the new exhibit area and engraved with up to four lines of text
  • Recognition in Smithsonian Zoogoer, FONZ Annual Report, lobby display, and Zoo website
  • An invitation to the grand opening of the new Elephant Barn

Gifts of $5,000+

  • A framable footprint made by one of our elephants
  • An invitation to the VIP reception at the Elephant Trails exhibit opening
  • An 8” x 8” brick installed in the new exhibit area and engraved with up to four lines of text
  • Recognition in Smithsonian Zoogoer, FONZ Annual Report, lobby display, and Zoo website
  • An invitation to the grand opening of the new Elephant Barn

Gifts of $10,000+

  • A life-size elephant footprint installed in the exhibit area and engraved with your name
  • A framable footprint made by one of our elephants
  • An invitation to the VIP reception at the Elephant Trails exhibit opening
  • Recognition in Smithsonian Zoogoer, FONZ Annual Report, lobby display, and Zoo website
  • An invitation to the grand opening of the new Elephant Barn

All bricks and footprints will be installed in the finished exhibit area and displayed for decades to come. The exhibit’s estimated date of completion is 2011.

 

Page Controls