Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo are in the process of expanding their elephant enclosures and expect to complete the full project by the end of 2022.
Executive manager at the Joburg Zoo Lombard Shirindzi said, “The expansion was subject to relocating the rhinos and then absorbing that space to extend the elephant enclosure. We must bear in mind that the current enclosure meets acceptable standards to house our elephants.”
The zoo began discussions on expanding the elephant enclosure after community members protested concerning the size of the current enclosure, which currently houses three elephants, saying that it is too small.
Shirindzi said that the architectural plans and bill of quantities for the enclosure for the three rhinos has been completed while the expansion plan for the elephants will be completed in June this year.
So far, improvements, including a mud bath and water pond for the elephants, has been completed.
The construction of a moat for the black rhino enclosure has been completed while construction of the night room for the black rhinos will be completed in April this year. Shirindzi said, “Once this phase is complete, the black rhino will be relocated from the old to the new enclosure and the old enclosure will be freed.”
An inter-linking ramp between the elephant enclosure and the black rhino enclosure will resume in July this year and be completed in December this year. Architectural plans and the bill of quantities for the white rhino enclosure and night room are still underway and will be completed by the end of December this year.
Construction of the white rhino enclosure is to be completed in December next year. Conversion of the rhino night rooms into an elephant night room and information centre respectively will be done in 2021 and 2022.
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