A Step into Africa Expansion
Opening in Summer 2018
North of the current elephant barn, a four-acre expansion of A Step into Africa will feature animals of the Savanna. This new area will include an outdoor habitat for Masai giraffes, zebras, and ostriches, and a new habitat for rhinos.
The expansion will also include the expansive Animals of the Savanna building, which will incorporate day rooms for the animals above, with habitats for other animals native to the Savanna, including naked mole rats, rock hyrax, a cichlid aquarium, an aviary, and much more.
Guests will have the opportunity to feed the giraffes at both indoor and outdoor feeding stations.
Masai Giraffe
Giraffes play an important role in the African savannah ecosystem, consuming leaves too high up for other herbivores and warning nearby animals of predators farther away.
Plains Zebra
Although not endangered, plains zebra are an example of increasing human-wildlife conflict as they compete for grazing grounds with local hoofed livestock like goats.
Ostrich
The ostrich is currently the world’s largest species of bird and lays the largest eggs.
White Rhino
The white rhino is one of five species of rhinos, the others are the Javan rhino, the Sumatran rhino, the Indian rhino, and the black rhino. Rhinos have excellent hearing and a keen sense of smell, which enables them to detect odors up to a mile away.
Rock Hyrax
In addition to dugongs, rock hyrax are the closest living relatives to elephants.
Naked Mole Rat
Scientists are studying the biochemistry of naked mole rats for their extraordinary abilities to resist cancer and diseases related to old age.
Elephant Shrew
Despite their name, elephant shrews are not actually true shrews and are instead more closely related to elephants.
Lake Malawai Cichlids
Lake Malawi contains at least 700 species of cichlids, each species having evolved a distinct color pattern, and is now a famous example of extreme evolutionary radiation.
See more of what’s changing
