Of the numerous fantastic elephant exhibits that have popped up across American zoos, this one is my favourite. I visited North Carolina, Nashville and Dallas within a couple of weeks of each other, and having 7 elephants on a whopping 7 acres in North Carolina is something that needs to be seen to be believed. The entire zoo is amazing and easily one of the best in the United States (and at 500 acres just about the biggest walk-through zoo on the planet) and the pachyderms in this photo could be seen on lush grass and with towering trees in the background obscuring fence lines. Right next door to the elephants is a 40-acre antelope/white rhino paddock that is larger than many zoos of the world! The zoo is an exhausting day out as everything can only be seen on foot, but it is well worth the trip to little-known Asheboro, North Carolina.
Does North Carolina Zoo have an elephant breeding program or are they housing older animals as a type of "retirement" facility like Elephant Odyssey in San Diego?
There has never been a baby elephant born at North Carolina Zoo, but "the times they are a changing" as an article earlier this year stated that there were plans to attempt A.I. with the 11 year-old female Batir. There are currently two males at the zoo (30 years old and 39) and 5 females (11, 25, 32, 35 and 35) and a youngster would be a great addition to one of America's outstanding zoos.
