
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo has spent the last several years planning and building quite an elephant exhibit. The elephants have become stars upon their return and even have their own website! The exhibit area is huge and circles a center area that houses the indoor facility as well as souvenir shops and a small refreshment stand. There is not a bad place to stand and watch these wonderful creatures.
The exhibit encourages more activity on the part of the elephants in that their food is moved to different places in the exhibit from

But even though there is some activity encouraged as if in the wild, they are still well trained. Inside the housing facility, the

Willy, the newly acquired bull elephant from Animal Kingdom in Disney World, is the only one to date that has learned to actually do the elephant crossing. The entrance to the center section of the exhibit is closed off to pedestrians twice a day so that the elephants can cross over from one area of the exhibit to the other. So far, Willy is the only one to cross over. "The girls," one trainer said, "are taking a bit longer to catch on."
The girls include Jo, Moshi, Martika, and Shenga. Each one according to their websites has a unique personality.
The exhibit also includes

Guess we'll be returning often this year. We had a great time and look forward to a "backyard" excursion on nice summer days.
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