Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is embarking on its most ambitious effort yet to save endangered African elephants from extinction, revealing plans today to build a world-class elephant habitat and conservation center near the Zoo's front entrance.

The new African Elephant Crossing will sit on five acres of lightly wooded grasslands -- more than quadrupling the amount of space currently dedicated to elephants at the Zoo -- and offer a naturalistic home to a herd of as many as 10 elephants at a time. The $25 million state-of-the-art facility will showcase the Zoo's commitment to excellence in elephant care and serve as a model for other zoos striving to provide their elephants with the best surroundings possible, according to Zoo Director Steve Taylor.

Construction of African Elephant Crossing, which will be the Zoo's largest capital project since The RainForest opened in 1992, is set to start in late 2007 and finish in 2010. A scale model of the new conservation center is now on display in the Zoo's Exhibit Hall.

"This project puts Cleveland Metroparks Zoo at the forefront in the important work of providing for elephants and protecting their future for generations to come," Taylor said. "Elephants have been a part of the Zoo for 100 years now, and African Elephant Crossing is our contribution to ensuring their survival for generations to come."

In addition to providing a fine home to elephants, African Elephant Crossing will bring Zoo visitors closer than ever to the giant land mammals with "nose-to-trunk" viewing areas, and the African Village education center will serve as a "living classroom" for visitors to learn about elephants, threats to their survival and their fragile natural habitat.

The outdoor portion of African Elephant Crossing will be modeled after the pachyderms' native savanna in Africa and provide them with stimulating surroundings similar to those they would find in nature. The elephants will have two sprawling ranges in which they can roam and forage freely, migrating from one to another as they please. The elephants also will be able to swim and play in several deep ponds, shower under a cascading waterfall and shake tall trees for nutritious treats. The "Night Range," featuring a heated pad and partial roof with heat, will allow the elephants to sleep under the stars and stay warm on chilly Cleveland days.

The seven-stall barn at African Elephant Crossing will be four times bigger than the 1950s-era Pachyderm Building it replaces. It will offer soft floors to protect the elephants' feet, design elements to accommodate calves and geriatric elephants and fortified pens to house at least one bull elephant so the Zoo can become a national center for elephant breeding.

African Elephant Crossing will house a multi-generational, socially complete herd of eight to 10 elephants. It also will include other savanna wildlife never before seen at the Zoo, such as meerkats, naked mole rats, African rock pythons and a variety of colorful African birds.

Half of the $25 million funding for the new elephant conservation center will come from the capital improvement budget of Cleveland Metroparks, which operates the Zoo; the other half will come from donations to the Cleveland Zoological Society's capital campaign. Together, the Zoo and Society are more than 60 percent of the way to their $25 million goal.

In addition to providing fo