Oregon Public Broadcasting

The Oregon Zoo gave a tour of its elephant facilities Tuesday, to show its plans for a new enclosure. Kristian Foden-Vencil reports.

Voters passed a $125 million bond measure for the zoo last fall. The money will be spent on everything from a new enclosure for polar bears to improved veterinary facilities.

$30 million is earmarked to increase the elephant enclosure from three acres to six acres.

Zoo deputy director, Mike Keele, says the bull elephants will also get a 200 acre off-site space.

Mike Keele: “They have different topography so animals are climbing, or lay down on hills if they want. There’s streams, there’s shallow water they can throw on themselves, there’s deep water that they can swim in --  just a lot of things that they can make decisions about to interact with throughout the day.”

The tour comes four days before animal rights groups hold a day of action around the country to protest the housing of elephants in zoos.