Elephant enclosure greatly expanded

Elephant enclosure greatly expanded

In order to give the elephant herds at Beekse Bergen even more space and to facilitate any future expansion of the group, the elephant enclosure will be expanded in the near future. In the new Elephant Valley, the elephants will soon be able to walk over the guests via a new tunnel towards a new savannahs.

The new valley will be 2 acres (20,000 m2) in size - 5,000 m2 more than the existing stay. The savannahs will be landscaped with great respect for existing trees, but also with an eye toward comfort for the elephants. Thus, there will be lee walls and a water feature. In addition to elephants, Sitatungas and a group of Defassa waterbucks will also make use of the savannah. The Defassa waterbuck is a new species for the Safaripark. The aim is to have the new Elephant Valley completely completed before the summer vacations.

Other work
Not only the elephant enclosure is being addressed this year. Prior to the arrival of the elephant valley, the male group of hyenas has been relocated. They have been temporarily housed elsewhere in the park and will eventually move to an entirely new 2,500 m2 stay that includes a "hyena creek. The existing cheetah enclosures along the walking safari will also be partially renovated this year, with one stay being completely new. Another stay will feature a new glass vista with line of sight towards the new rhino plain.

In addition, a large savannah aviary of over 2,200 m2 will also be constructed this year for Secretarybirds, weavers and Eurasian hoopoes. The aviary can be viewed through a small glass view, as well as from an observation hut, all according to the guidelines of an avian flu-proof presentation. The other birds will also be redistributed among the aviaries in the park so that they are more compatible in terms of habitat with the large mammals found around these aviaries.

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