The National Elephant Center was an American 501(c)(3) non-profit conservation organization founded by a group of ten directors from zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).
The National Elephant Center was open from 2013 - 2016 and is now closed. It was created to provide care to African and Asian elephants on a site in Fellsmere, Florida. In addition to providing care to animals, its goal was also contribute research, support and population management to accredited zoos with elephants. The National Elephant Center was forced to close in 2016 after the deaths of three elephants.
Though not accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), the National Elephant Center was a collaborative effort between AZA institutions and was intended to become the center for AZA elephant population management. It envisioned itself as a world leader in elephant conservation, scientific research and care for elephant populations in zoos and in the wild.
History
In 2004, the idea of creating a national center for elephants came as the result of an Association of Zoos and Aquariums Elephant Management Strategic Planning Meeting involving thought leaders and members of the Elephant Taxon Advisory Group/Species Survival Plan (TAG/SSP). For many years, curators, keepers, veterinarians and others associated with elephants at Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) institutions wanted a facility to provide short- and long-term solutions to help manage the nation’s 290 (approx.) elephants that live at 109 different AZA-accredited facilities.
Following the meeting, dozens of AZA-accredited zoos donated critical funding support to explore options for establishing a Center to serve as a tool in elephant management and conservation.
A search was launched to research potential sites to locate the center. Initially a team of elephant experts selected property offered by Waste Management, Inc. near Okeechobee in central Florida.
The National Elephant Center was formally announced in February 2008 at a ceremony held at the Houston Zoo. The Center was expected to break ground in late 2008, with a goal to welcome its first elephants sometime in 2009. The original site was adjacent to property that Waste Management maintains as a natural area certified by the Wildlife Habitat Council that provides food and nesting areas for threatened Florida sandhill cranes and other endangered species. Waste Management was to lease the land to The National Elephant Center for $1 per year for 40 years.
However, it was eventually decided that a site in Fellsmere, Florida was more suitable, and groundbreaking occurred in April 2012. The center's first residents arrived in May 2013, when a family group of two females and two males arrived from Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park. Completion of the initial plan was thought to likely to take up to 10 years.
The center housed five elephants, the last two of which were moved there from Disney's Animal Kingdom. After the first three to move to the center died, one of the surviving elephants was returned to Disney, and the other was moved to the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. The center has ceased operations.
Facilities
The National Elephant Center is located on in Fellsmere, Florida.
The Elephant Center featured on-site housing for staff and two barns for Asian and African elephants, each capable of supporting nine animals. The design called for barns to be connected by a central hub, surrounded by a habitat that can be subdivided depending on the needs of the elephants.
The largest area of the Elephant Center was the Central Elephant Meander, a area that consists of multiple landscapes linked by a series of paths and trails. The area introduced landform and habitat elements from the savannahs and woodlands of the elephants’ home ranges, containing waterholes, sand dunes, plants and scattered browse.