Elephants focus of new Denver Zoo locale

DENVER, July 9 (UPI) -- The Denver Zoo will soon begin construction of a new 10-acre elephant park that will likely surpass requirements placed on the animals' care last year.

While many U.S. zoos have decided to stop housing elephants in light of Association of Zoos and Aquariums' regulations imposed last year, officials at the Denver Zoo are instead moving forward with a $52 million pachyderm park, The Denver Post said Monday.

Plans for the zoo expansion even include a hot tub for the elephants to bathe in and special scratching trees for the animals.

Denver Zoo Vice President Craig Piper said that his locale decided to take action to aid the elephant population in a time when many zoos are turning their backs on the massive beasts.

"We want to do much more," Piper said. "Elephants are not doing well. ... We want to help develop self-sustaining populations in zoos as an insurance policy for the wild."

The zoo's new "Asian Tropics" park will also house rhinos and tapirs, which will each have separate turns to enjoy the new lush accommodations, the Post said.