Elephant Valley Trainings

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Elephant Valley Team Member Training

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Elephant Valley Overview

Project Overview

Conservation Partners

Landscaping

Tour

Elephants & Our Herd

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Shelter

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Theme: Coexisting with Wildlife

Localized Impact Collaboration Science Based Strategies Protecting Biodiversity Community Engagement Strategic Focus

Transition zone between biomes

Fire plays an important role

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Threats to the Savanna and Elephants

The root cause of most conflict is not too many elephants, but our increasing human populations and our unsustainable consumption of natural resources.

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Hope for the Savanna and Elephants

Habitat Loss: Livestock Pressure

Support sustainable agricutlure

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Hope for the Savanna and Elephants

Habitat Fragmentation

Donate to elephant conservation and encourage the production of wildlife corridors

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Hope for the Savanna and Elephants

Human-Elephant Conflict

Contribute to non-profits

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Hope for the Savanna and Elephants

Poaching (Ivory)

Don't purchase products made from wildlife

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Review Questions

Review Questions

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Shelter

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Conservation Partners

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African Elephant Fun Facts

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Our Herd

11 African elephants, born in South Kruger National Park, were translocated to Swaziland (now eSwatini) in 1994.

When scheduled to be culled, 7 were brought to San Diego and 4 to Lowry Park Zoo in Florida in August 2003.

As the herd has continued to grow over that last 23 years, elephants have been moved to various AZA facilities to support a sustainable African Elephant population.

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Elephants

& Our Herd

Quiz

Test your knowledge

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End of the quiz!

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Elephant Valley Project Overview

Project size: Approximately 12.75 acres

Total length of construction: over 3 years

New Horticulture techniques developed

Groundbreaking wildlife care and construction collaboration

Elephants in habitat

Wildlife Care/training before

Communication throughout

Thoughtful planning

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Habitat Design

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Designed with a story in mind

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Elephant Valley Talking Stick Artisan

Meroni Leroso

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Mkutano House

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Review Questions

Review Questions

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Journey Through Elephant Valley

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Talking Stick #1: North Plaza

Shared spaces and coexistence

Entry into Elephant Valley

Plants begin lush and dense in this space, a mix of Australian, Asian and African species.

The bridge into Elephant Valley features repurposed wooden boards from the former Tembo Stadium benches.

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Talking Stick #2: Elephant Trek

Ecosystem Engineers

Footprints in the ground lead into the foliage, which features trees that appear to have been “pushed” over.

Dense landscape thins out and becomes sparser.

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Talking Stick #3: Baraza

Community Conservation

In Africa, barazas are often open areas in the shade of trees, a place where our vets visit to talk about livestock vaccines. The space continually changes as villages move and adjust hotwire when wildlife travels through.

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Talking Stick #4: Elephant Encounter

The Herd

Cave provides guests a unique viewing opportunity.

Bas relief inside allows guests to feel the texture of an elephant’s skin and eyelashes.

The bridge is a representation of Africa’s first wildlife corridor, built by two of SDZWA’s partners, Lewa Wildlife Conservancy and Save the Elephants.

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Talking Stick #5: Water

A shared ifeline

Watering holes serve to bring different species and herds of animals together – rangers can observe the behavior of elephant orphans that have been raised and released into protected areas, their interactions, and the health of animals at these water sources.

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Talking Stick #6: Tembo Trail

Nature Protecting Nature

Beehive Fences: a series of interlinked beehives connected by wire and built around the perimeter of a farm to protect crops from elephants

More than the sting itself, the sound of a swarm of bees is a major deterrent for elephants.

The bees also serve as pollinators for the farm plants and provide honey.​

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Talking Stick #7: Mkutano House

Gathering as a Community

Swahili, meaning “gathering with purpose”.

Mkutano House is a gathering place for the community

Level 1 features a full-service restaurant with a bar, patio dining, and the sundowner cocktail space, as well as quick service dining windows outside.

Level 2 features the tranquil Ona Lounge with an impressive patio and a view, “ona” means “to see” in Swahili. Bridal suite also available on this level.

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Elephant Valley Landscaping

Our horticulture teams curated and cultivated over 350 individual plants for Elephant Valley, including Nubian dragon trees that have been growing at the Safari Park since it opened half a century ago.

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Plants of Elephant Valley

Cycads

Sausage Tree

Thorny Acacia

Dragon Tree

Quiver Tree

CA Native Wetlands

Fossil Silk Tree

Crops

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Find the key terms

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What you can do to help

Threats to the Savanna

Support sustainable agricutlure

Habitat fragementation

Don't purchase products made from animals

Invasive species

Change in fire management

Climate change

Donate to reputable conservation organizations

Ivory Trade

Encourage implementation of wildlife corridors

Contribute ot non-profits

Support SDZWA

Human wildlife conflict

Habitat loss

Support SDZWA Partners

Poaching of wildlife

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#3 Community Conservation

#2 Ecosystem Engineers

#1 Shared Spaces and Coexistence

#5 Water: A Shared Lifeline

#6 Nature Protecting Nature

#4 The Herd: Elephant Encounter

Watering holes

Climate change

Replica bee hive fences

Footprints and broken trees

Ivory Trade

An abundance of vegetation

Africa's first elephant underpass

Barazas as conservation tools

Support SDZWA

Poaching of wildlife

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Identify Plants in Elephant Valley: drag each picture to its name

Quiver Tree

Thorny Acacia

Sausage Tree

Floss Silk Tree

Dragon Tree

Cycad

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Elephant Valley Opening March 5th

Floss Silk Tree

Floss silk trees near the east pond are rumored to have been planted by the founder of the Safari Park, Dr. Schroder and his wife.

BeadWORKS creates opportunities for pastoralist women in northern Kenya to translate their traditional skills into much-needed income. BeadWORKS, a social enterprise of the The Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT), is part of a powerful and growing movement to transform lives. By promoting peaceful community partnerships, they are committed to conserving natural resources and wildlife through self-governed, community-owned conservancies and sustainable, social and ethical enterprise. When women have reliable incomes which are independent of unpredictable rainfall, communities and wildlife are able to thrive – together.

Over Grazing

Reduced grasses due to overgrazing by livestock allow trees to expand and take growth. The removal of grasses also suppresses fires, by removing fuel for natural fire. Overgrazing is also in direct competition for native wildlife, as resources are removed.

Common Errors

There are various errors people make when writing a self- evaluation. Here are some things you should avoid doing: Stay away from being too negative. It's important to be honest and objective in your self- evaluation, but that doesn't mean you have to be negative. Focus on your strengths and accomplishments as well as your areas for improvement. Avoid being vague. In all areas of the evaluation except the comment section, you must provide specific examples to support your performance rating. This means more than just listing your strengths and opportunities, leaving the section blank, or writing something like, “I fully met expectations here.” It means giving concrete examples of how you demonstrated those strengths and opportunities. This will help your manager to better understand your performance and identify areas where you can improveReframe from making excuses. If you made any mistakes or fell short in your performance, take ownership of them and explain how you plan to improve. Don't make excuses or blame others. You should never compare yourself to others. Your self-evaluation should be about your own performance, not about how you compare to other team members. Focus on your own goals and development. It’s also important to be forward-thinking. Your self-evaluation should be more than just a reflection on your past performance. It should also be an opportunity to set goals for the future and to communicate your career aspirations to your leader. And lastly, avoid using AI tools like, ChatGPT or Bard, to write your self-evaluation. Self- evaluations are legal documents and should reflect your own perception of your performance. Click on the right arrow in the top left of the screen to move forward.

Crops

Along Tembo Trail, you will find plants that are sometimes grown as crops. The coffee plants are frequently planted alongside Ice Cream Bean plants as their growth compliments one another.

About the Project

The project covers nearly 13 acres and took over three years to complete, making it the largest project ever undertaken by SDZWA. New horticulture techniques were developed to relocate mature plants while introducing new plantings into the habitat. Wildlife care and construction teams worked in close collaboration, allowing the elephants to remain in their habitat during construction. Animal training occurred both before and throughout the process. Strong communication and thoughtful planning were critical to the project’s success. Click the right arrow in the top left of the screen to continue.

Northern Rangelands Trust

Transforming Lives, Conserving Nature

Northern Rangelands Trust and The Nature Conservancy are important supporting partners for conservation on the landscape. Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT) recognizes the need to collaborate with communities to address emerging issues and shared challenges. NRT supports fundraising and coordinating efforts among communities interested in conservation. Elected leaders of nine community conservancies met and agreed to form an umbrella organization to serve all member conservancies.

Save the Elephants, Loisaba Conservancy, Naibunga Lower Community Conservancy, and Chui Mamas are critical partners for our active human-elephant coexistence work. Save the Elephants was founded in 1993 and over the decades they have built one of the world’s most detailed datasets on wild elephants. STE’s work focuses on securing a future for elephants, promoting human–elephant coexistence, and conducting research to inform conservation. They use high-tech tools to understand the movement of elephants and how landscapes must be planned to accommodate elephants. One of their standout innovations is the beehive fence as bees are a deterrent to elephants. The beehive fence and coexistence work has shown measurable reductions in crop-raiding by elephants and provided alternative income (honey, repellent crops) for farmers. Guests can view a replica of beehive fences along Tembo Trail, near the south side of Elephant Valley.

Save the Elephants

Human-Elephant Coexistence

Common Errors

There are various errors people make when writing a self- evaluation. Here are some things you should avoid doing: Stay away from being too negative. It's important to be honest and objective in your self- evaluation, but that doesn't mean you have to be negative. Focus on your strengths and accomplishments as well as your areas for improvement. Avoid being vague. In all areas of the evaluation except the comment section, you must provide specific examples to support your performance rating. This means more than just listing your strengths and opportunities, leaving the section blank, or writing something like, “I fully met expectations here.” It means giving concrete examples of how you demonstrated those strengths and opportunities. This will help your manager to better understand your performance and identify areas where you can improveReframe from making excuses. If you made any mistakes or fell short in your performance, take ownership of them and explain how you plan to improve. Don't make excuses or blame others. You should never compare yourself to others. Your self-evaluation should be about your own performance, not about how you compare to other team members. Focus on your own goals and development. It’s also important to be forward-thinking. Your self-evaluation should be more than just a reflection on your past performance. It should also be an opportunity to set goals for the future and to communicate your career aspirations to your leader. And lastly, avoid using AI tools like, ChatGPT or Bard, to write your self-evaluation. Self- evaluations are legal documents and should reflect your own perception of your performance. Click on the right arrow in the top left of the screen to move forward.

Human-Elephant Conflict As human populations expand into elephant habitats, conflicts arise — from crop raiding to property damage — which can harm both humans and elephants. What You Can Do: Contribute to non-profits that work with local communities and conservationists to reduce conflicts in ways that protect both people and elephants. Click on the right arrow at the top left of the screen to move forward.

Common Errors

There are various errors people make when writing a self- evaluation. Here are some things you should avoid doing: Stay away from being too negative. It's important to be honest and objective in your self- evaluation, but that doesn't mean you have to be negative. Focus on your strengths and accomplishments as well as your areas for improvement. Avoid being vague. In all areas of the evaluation except the comment section, you must provide specific examples to support your performance rating. This means more than just listing your strengths and opportunities, leaving the section blank, or writing something like, “I fully met expectations here.” It means giving concrete examples of how you demonstrated those strengths and opportunities. This will help your manager to better understand your performance and identify areas where you can improveReframe from making excuses. If you made any mistakes or fell short in your performance, take ownership of them and explain how you plan to improve. Don't make excuses or blame others. You should never compare yourself to others. Your self-evaluation should be about your own performance, not about how you compare to other team members. Focus on your own goals and development. It’s also important to be forward-thinking. Your self-evaluation should be more than just a reflection on your past performance. It should also be an opportunity to set goals for the future and to communicate your career aspirations to your leader. And lastly, avoid using AI tools like, ChatGPT or Bard, to write your self-evaluation. Self- evaluations are legal documents and should reflect your own perception of your performance. Click on the right arrow in the top left of the screen to move forward.

Congratulations on completing the Elephant Valley training. You have explored how habitat design, horticulture, elephant care, and guest engagement all work together to create a meaningful experience. Elephant Valley is more than a space — it reflects intentional planning, conservation values, and a deep commitment to wildlife wellbeing. As you support guests in this area, remember that every interaction is an opportunity to connect people to elephants, their habitats, and the importance of conservation. By sharing accurate information, modeling respect, and creating welcoming experiences, you help turn a visit into something memorable and impactful. Thank you for your dedication to wildlife, our guests, and the mission of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

Common Errors

There are various errors people make when writing a self- evaluation. Here are some things you should avoid doing: Stay away from being too negative. It's important to be honest and objective in your self- evaluation, but that doesn't mean you have to be negative. Focus on your strengths and accomplishments as well as your areas for improvement. Avoid being vague. In all areas of the evaluation except the comment section, you must provide specific examples to support your performance rating. This means more than just listing your strengths and opportunities, leaving the section blank, or writing something like, “I fully met expectations here.” It means giving concrete examples of how you demonstrated those strengths and opportunities. This will help your manager to better understand your performance and identify areas where you can improveReframe from making excuses. If you made any mistakes or fell short in your performance, take ownership of them and explain how you plan to improve. Don't make excuses or blame others. You should never compare yourself to others. Your self-evaluation should be about your own performance, not about how you compare to other team members. Focus on your own goals and development. It’s also important to be forward-thinking. Your self-evaluation should be more than just a reflection on your past performance. It should also be an opportunity to set goals for the future and to communicate your career aspirations to your leader. And lastly, avoid using AI tools like, ChatGPT or Bard, to write your self-evaluation. Self- evaluations are legal documents and should reflect your own perception of your performance. Click on the right arrow in the top left of the screen to move forward.

Common Errors

There are various errors people make when writing a self- evaluation. Here are some things you should avoid doing: Stay away from being too negative. It's important to be honest and objective in your self- evaluation, but that doesn't mean you have to be negative. Focus on your strengths and accomplishments as well as your areas for improvement. Avoid being vague. In all areas of the evaluation except the comment section, you must provide specific examples to support your performance rating. This means more than just listing your strengths and opportunities, leaving the section blank, or writing something like, “I fully met expectations here.” It means giving concrete examples of how you demonstrated those strengths and opportunities. This will help your manager to better understand your performance and identify areas where you can improveReframe from making excuses. If you made any mistakes or fell short in your performance, take ownership of them and explain how you plan to improve. Don't make excuses or blame others. You should never compare yourself to others. Your self-evaluation should be about your own performance, not about how you compare to other team members. Focus on your own goals and development. It’s also important to be forward-thinking. Your self-evaluation should be more than just a reflection on your past performance. It should also be an opportunity to set goals for the future and to communicate your career aspirations to your leader. And lastly, avoid using AI tools like, ChatGPT or Bard, to write your self-evaluation. Self- evaluations are legal documents and should reflect your own perception of your performance. Click on the right arrow in the top left of the screen to move forward.

Transitional Zones

Savannas are transitional zones between biomes, usually between forests and deserts and they act as an important buffer between the two. On the map, the medium and light green represent the savanna, dark green represents forest, and yellow desert.

Talking Sticks

Promotes deep listening: The process of waiting for the talking stick to be passed to you encourages deep listening. Rather than planning a rebuttal, participants are encouraged to listen attentively to what the speaker is saying. The focus shifts from winning an argument to truly understanding another's perspective. Aids in conflict resolution and consensus-building: In situations involving serious disputes or important decisions, the talking stick is a powerful tool for mediation and dialogue. It ensures that every side of an issue is heard completely and calmly, which can de-escalate tension and lead to more effective, respectful resolutions. Reinforces community values: For communities like the Maasai, the talking stick is not just a tool, but a symbol. The object itself is often beautifully beaded and holds symbolic meaning, representing the cultural values of respect, dignity, and collective decision-making. The tradition of its use reinforces these values with every conversation.

Conservation hubs focus our efforts and make the strongest impact possible. The hubs promote collaboration among internal teams and external partners and communities. Efforts within each hub are guided by science-based strategies aimed to restore biodiversity. There is an emphasis on working with local communities to ensure long-term sustainability for wildlife and people. The following are SDZWA hubs and are marked with a unique logo on the map.

• Southwest
• Asia
• African Forest
• Australian Forest
• Amazonia
• Pacific Islands
• Oceans
• Savanna

Each hub has its own unique theme. The theme for the Savanna hub is coexistence. This theme will be shared with guests via storytelling. Click on the right arrow at the top left of the screen to move forward.

Namunyak Conservancy, Reteti Elephant Sanctuary, and The Sarara Foundation are key to elephant rescue, rehabilitation, and release work, and there is developing wildlife health support connected to the Laboratory in Northern Kenya when that is operational.

Chui Mamas

Unity, Transformation, Prosperity

Save the Elephants, Loisaba Conservancy, Naibunga Lower Community Conservancy, and Chui Mamas are critical partners for our active human-elephant coexistence work. Chui Mamas work in tandem with wildlife conservation efforts in their region recognizing the women's empowerment and ecological sustaibility go hand in hand. They have helped to construct over 3,000 retention berms and reseeded restoration sites improving forage for livestock and wild grazers. The Chui Mamas Center is a resouce hub that brings together members of the entire community, serving as a gathering space for education events, conservation meetings, and shop fronts.

Habitat Fragmentation

Habitat Fragmentation and Urbanization reduce access to resources, disrupt social behavior, decreases genetic diversity, and create physical barriers that prevent or limit movement.

Poaching has serious and wide-ranging effects on elephants, both directly and indirectly. Poaching kills a large number of elephants, leading to declining populations. Elephants are highly social animals with complex family structures. Killing adult elephants disrupts herds, leaving younger elephants vulnerable and less able to learn survival skills. What You Can Do: Don’t purchase products made from wildlife. Demand motivates people to poach and disrupts coexistence between wildlife and humans. Click on the right arrow in the top left of the screen to move forward.

Native Wetland Plants

The west pond has been completed with the addition of plants that are native to California wetlands. These plants are important for local pollinators.

Fire

Savannas are characterized by grasslands, and few trees. Fires play an extremely important role in savannas and naturally occur. Regular fires suppress tree seedlings, ensuring that the tree population does not become dominate and a canopy does not form. Fire clears out the growth of new trees, and can help release seeds for grasses providing food and habitat for wildlife.

Introduced Plants

Introduced plants can dominate the savanna, altering the environment and resources for people and wildlife. One example of this is the prickly pear cactus, which was introduced and can take over an area and dominates native grasses and shrubs.

Fire

Fire suppression has allowed trees to become more prevalent in the ecosystem, blocking sunlight from hitting the ground, and affecting the abundance of grasses. Fire suppression has also created an abundance of fuel when fires do happen, making fires stronger and more damaging.

Common Errors

There are various errors people make when writing a self- evaluation. Here are some things you should avoid doing: Stay away from being too negative. It's important to be honest and objective in your self- evaluation, but that doesn't mean you have to be negative. Focus on your strengths and accomplishments as well as your areas for improvement. Avoid being vague. In all areas of the evaluation except the comment section, you must provide specific examples to support your performance rating. This means more than just listing your strengths and opportunities, leaving the section blank, or writing something like, “I fully met expectations here.” It means giving concrete examples of how you demonstrated those strengths and opportunities. This will help your manager to better understand your performance and identify areas where you can improveReframe from making excuses. If you made any mistakes or fell short in your performance, take ownership of them and explain how you plan to improve. Don't make excuses or blame others. You should never compare yourself to others. Your self-evaluation should be about your own performance, not about how you compare to other team members. Focus on your own goals and development. It’s also important to be forward-thinking. Your self-evaluation should be more than just a reflection on your past performance. It should also be an opportunity to set goals for the future and to communicate your career aspirations to your leader. And lastly, avoid using AI tools like, ChatGPT or Bard, to write your self-evaluation. Self- evaluations are legal documents and should reflect your own perception of your performance. Click on the right arrow in the top left of the screen to move forward.

Sausage Tree

Sausage trees were grown from seeds at the Safari Park. Before the seeds were germinated, they were first smashed with a brick to simulate being eaten by an elephant! Prior to this, the seeds had a very low germination rate.

Namunyak Conservancy, Reteti Elephant Sanctuary, and The Sarara Foundation are key to elephant rescue, rehabilitation, and release work, and there is developing wildlife health support connected to the Laboratory in Northern Kenya when that is operational.

In this training, we will explore the key components of Elephant Valley and how they connect to daily operations and guest engagement. Topics include an overview of Elephant Valley and the Savanna Hub; an introduction to our conservation partners; a review of the elephants in our herd and common guest questions; and a project overview highlighting the significance of the Talking Sticks and Mkutano House. We will also examine the landscaping and habitat design elements within the Valley and conclude with a guided journey through Elephant Valley to reinforce learning within the physical space. Click on the right arrow in the top left of the screen to move forward.

Although these threats may seem overwhelming, there are actions everyone can take to help protect elephants and savanna habitats. For example, Habitat Loss due to Livestock Pressure. Rising demand for meat and dairy drives the expansion of grazing land and feed crop production, leading to deforestation and the destruction of natural habitats. This reduces biodiversity and contributes to soil degradation and climate change. What You Can Do: Support sustainable agriculture by choosing products that protect ecosystems and communities — for example, buying fair-trade and shade-grown coffee, which promote environmentally responsible farming and help preserve wildlife habitats. Click on the right arrow at the top left of the screen to move forward.

Dragon Tree

Dragon trees along the path have been growing at the Safari Park for around 50 years. These trees were relocated from Aloe Hill, which is behind Benbough Staduim.

Poaching and Ivory

Poaching and Ivory Trade kill tens of thousands of elephant annually for their tusks, causing elephant populations to plummet. Elephants play a vital role in their ecosystems by spreading seeds and maintaining habitats. The disruption of elephant families and the loss of elders can have cascading negative effects. The loss of adult elephants leads to the reduced survival of their young creating a double impact on the population.

Northern Rangelands Trust and The Nature Conservancy are important supporting partners for conservation on the landscape.

Common Errors

There are various errors people make when writing a self- evaluation. Here are some things you should avoid doing: Stay away from being too negative. It's important to be honest and objective in your self- evaluation, but that doesn't mean you have to be negative. Focus on your strengths and accomplishments as well as your areas for improvement. Avoid being vague. In all areas of the evaluation except the comment section, you must provide specific examples to support your performance rating. This means more than just listing your strengths and opportunities, leaving the section blank, or writing something like, “I fully met expectations here.” It means giving concrete examples of how you demonstrated those strengths and opportunities. This will help your manager to better understand your performance and identify areas where you can improveReframe from making excuses. If you made any mistakes or fell short in your performance, take ownership of them and explain how you plan to improve. Don't make excuses or blame others. You should never compare yourself to others. Your self-evaluation should be about your own performance, not about how you compare to other team members. Focus on your own goals and development. It’s also important to be forward-thinking. Your self-evaluation should be more than just a reflection on your past performance. It should also be an opportunity to set goals for the future and to communicate your career aspirations to your leader. And lastly, avoid using AI tools like, ChatGPT or Bard, to write your self-evaluation. Self- evaluations are legal documents and should reflect your own perception of your performance. Click on the right arrow in the top left of the screen to move forward.

Namunyak Conservancy, Reteti Elephant Sanctuary, and The Sarara Foundation are key to elephant rescue, rehabilitation, and release work, and there is developing wildlife health support connected to the Laboratory in Northern Kenya when that is operational.

Elephant Rescue, Rehab, and Release

Reteti Elephant Sanctuary is the result of a wildly recognized and expanding grassroots movement of community-driven conservation across northern Kenya. It represents a significant shift of wildlife rescue managed by the local community (rather than externally run) and links conservation to local livelihood. The sanctuary is part of a broader community-led conservation efforts: protecting wildlife, restoring rangelands, generating livelihoods for local people, and promoting human-wildlife coexistence.

New feeders and drinkers were added and can be used to simulate different season by increasing or decreasing the amount of food and water available at some of the locations. This is a way to emulate a more natural and varied environment for the elephants. Inside the habitat there are also design features to aide care and protect plants, so that plants can coexist alongside the elephants. Hover over each circle to learn about some of the key aspects within the environment. Once complete, click on the right arrow at the top left of the screen to move forward.

Thorny Acacia

Sixteen species of thorn trees can be found in the space. Those with the yellow trunks were relocated from other areas at the Safari Park and were grown from seeds produced by the large thorn tree in Thorntree Terrace. The mother tree arrived at the Safari Park in 1972 as either a seed or a seedling that was brought back from Africa.

Habitat Fragmentation and Urbanization: Urban expansion and infrastructure development break large habitats into smaller, isolated patches. This fragmentation threatens wildlife by limiting movement, reducing genetic diversity, and increasing human-wildlife conflicts. What You Can Do: Donate to reputable organizations focused on protecting species like elephants and encourage local governments to implement wildlife corridors and land-use planning that maintain habitat connectivity. Click on the right arrow in the top left of the screen to move forward.

Climate Change

Climate changes are affecting the availability of water in the biome, prolonged drought or intense floods are affecting the delicate balance of this ecosystem.

Common Errors

There are various errors people make when writing a self- evaluation. Here are some things you should avoid doing: Stay away from being too negative. It's important to be honest and objective in your self- evaluation, but that doesn't mean you have to be negative. Focus on your strengths and accomplishments as well as your areas for improvement. Avoid being vague. In all areas of the evaluation except the comment section, you must provide specific examples to support your performance rating. This means more than just listing your strengths and opportunities, leaving the section blank, or writing something like, “I fully met expectations here.” It means giving concrete examples of how you demonstrated those strengths and opportunities. This will help your manager to better understand your performance and identify areas where you can improveReframe from making excuses. If you made any mistakes or fell short in your performance, take ownership of them and explain how you plan to improve. Don't make excuses or blame others. You should never compare yourself to others. Your self-evaluation should be about your own performance, not about how you compare to other team members. Focus on your own goals and development. It’s also important to be forward-thinking. Your self-evaluation should be more than just a reflection on your past performance. It should also be an opportunity to set goals for the future and to communicate your career aspirations to your leader. And lastly, avoid using AI tools like, ChatGPT or Bard, to write your self-evaluation. Self- evaluations are legal documents and should reflect your own perception of your performance. Click on the right arrow in the top left of the screen to move forward.

International Elephant Foundation focuses on Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus (EEHV) research as this virus is often fatal.

Talking Sticks

The talking stick helps to balance power dynamics by giving a voice to all members of the community, regardless of their social standing or typical reticence. For the quiet: It empowers those who are shy or less assertive to speak freely, as they are guaranteed a time to be heard without being overshadowed. For the dominant: It prevents more outspoken or dominant individuals from monopolizing the conversation and gives them an opportunity to practice listening. These talking sticks were designed and created for the Safari Park, with unique patterns by artisans from Beadworks. Each talking stick has an individual artisan and their personal story behind the creation. The talking sticks are displayed in Mkutano House and on the pathways guests can view larger replicas that help denote changes in the environment and the storytelling messaging as they move through the space with elephants.

Elephant Rescue, Rehab, and Release

Namunyak Conservancy, Reteti Elephant Sanctuary, and The Sarara Foundation are key to elephant rescue, rehabilitation, and release work, and there is developing wildlife health support connected to the Laboratory in Northern Kenya when that is operational. Reteti Elephant Sanctuary is the result of a wildly recognized and expanding grassroots movement of community-driven conservation across northern Kenya. It represents a significant shift of wildlife rescue managed by the local community (rather than externally run) and links conservation to local livelihood. The sanctuary is part of a broader community-led conservation efforts: protecting wildlife, restoring rangelands, generating livelihoods for local people, and promoting human-wildlife coexistence.

Cycads

There are 15 species of cycads in this space, many of which have been relocated from other areas in the Safari Park. The large cycad near the second talking stick was relocated from Tembo Staduim.

Talking Sticks in Kenyan Culture: The Talking Stick is a traditional tool of communication in Kenyan culture, particularly among the Masai people. It is a ceremonial item that allows the holder to have complete attention from the group, ensuring that everyone has a chance to be heard. The tradition of using a Talking Stick is a way to maintain communiy, unity, and respect for each person's voice. The Talking Stick is not only a means of communication but also a symbol of authority and status. Is it often used by respected village elders during community gatherings and is a gift for men, symbolizing home decor and keeping off wild animals. The rungu, a type of Talking Stick, is handcrafted by warriors and used for both hunting and community gatherings. The use of the Talking Sticks in Kenyan culture reflects the deep connections between humans, nature, and the spiritual world, as well as the importance of resepect, equality, and interconnectedness of all living beings.

Human-Wildlife Conflict Management

Save the Elephants, Loisaba Conservancy, Naibunga Lower Community Conservancy, and Chui Mamas are critical partners for our active human-elephant coexistence work. Loisaba Conservancy is a 58,000-acre wildlife conservancy in northern Kenya, dedicated to conservation, sustainable tourism, and community development. Loisaba is actively working with local communities and partners to implement strategies that reduce conflict and promote coexistence. Some of their initiatives include providing predator-proof bomas, educating communities on conflict mitigation techniques and consequences of retaliatory measures such as poisoning, and engaging community members to document and learn from human wildlife conflicts.

Quiver Tree

Near the ponds, you will find a quiver tree. These trees are used to create a holder, or quiver, for bows and arrows.

Common Errors

There are various errors people make when writing a self- evaluation. Here are some things you should avoid doing: Stay away from being too negative. It's important to be honest and objective in your self- evaluation, but that doesn't mean you have to be negative. Focus on your strengths and accomplishments as well as your areas for improvement. Avoid being vague. In all areas of the evaluation except the comment section, you must provide specific examples to support your performance rating. This means more than just listing your strengths and opportunities, leaving the section blank, or writing something like, “I fully met expectations here.” It means giving concrete examples of how you demonstrated those strengths and opportunities. This will help your manager to better understand your performance and identify areas where you can improveReframe from making excuses. If you made any mistakes or fell short in your performance, take ownership of them and explain how you plan to improve. Don't make excuses or blame others. You should never compare yourself to others. Your self-evaluation should be about your own performance, not about how you compare to other team members. Focus on your own goals and development. It’s also important to be forward-thinking. Your self-evaluation should be more than just a reflection on your past performance. It should also be an opportunity to set goals for the future and to communicate your career aspirations to your leader. And lastly, avoid using AI tools like, ChatGPT or Bard, to write your self-evaluation. Self- evaluations are legal documents and should reflect your own perception of your performance. Click on the right arrow in the top left of the screen to move forward.

International Elephant Foundation focuses on Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus (EEHV) research as this virus is often fatal.

From the west entrance, the story begins by entering into a lush landscape filled with cycads and plants of the African Forest. All around, you will find signs of how elephants help to shape the world around them, before coming into a baraza where communities live side-by-side with elephants and have adapted their daily lives to coexist. After passing through the baraza, you begin to get your first glimpse of the herd, as the landscape transitions to that of the African savanna. The farther you travel into the space, the more there is to discover about how elephants and communities survive together. Each facet of Elephant Valley is meticulously designed to reflect the seasonal variations of the African savanna year-round. The rich plant life in Elephant Valley has been curated by a team of expert horticulturists and arborists to authentically replicate the sights, sounds and smells of Africa’s diverse ecosystems, specifically the vast savanna and grasslands. More than 350 individual plants have been grown for Elephant Valley, representing rare and endangered African plants. Click on the right arrow in the top left of the screen to move forward.

Common Errors

There are various errors people make when writing a self- evaluation. Here are some things you should avoid doing: Stay away from being too negative. It's important to be honest and objective in your self- evaluation, but that doesn't mean you have to be negative. Focus on your strengths and accomplishments as well as your areas for improvement. Avoid being vague. In all areas of the evaluation except the comment section, you must provide specific examples to support your performance rating. This means more than just listing your strengths and opportunities, leaving the section blank, or writing something like, “I fully met expectations here.” It means giving concrete examples of how you demonstrated those strengths and opportunities. This will help your manager to better understand your performance and identify areas where you can improveReframe from making excuses. If you made any mistakes or fell short in your performance, take ownership of them and explain how you plan to improve. Don't make excuses or blame others. You should never compare yourself to others. Your self-evaluation should be about your own performance, not about how you compare to other team members. Focus on your own goals and development. It’s also important to be forward-thinking. Your self-evaluation should be more than just a reflection on your past performance. It should also be an opportunity to set goals for the future and to communicate your career aspirations to your leader. And lastly, avoid using AI tools like, ChatGPT or Bard, to write your self-evaluation. Self- evaluations are legal documents and should reflect your own perception of your performance. Click on the right arrow in the top left of the screen to move forward.

This is the story of one of the six BeadWORKS artisans who crafted items for Elephant Valley This striking talking stick was expertly crafted by Meroni Leruso, a remarkable young Maasai leader from the Ilngwesi Community Conservancy. The bead sequence is inspired by her traditional community beading designs with her own love for vibrant colors. With unwavering determination, she has become a beacon of change, amplifying the voices of marginalized women and communities within her region. Meroni, a dedicated artisan at BeadWORKS for over four years, exemplifies resilience and strength. As a single mother of three, she joined BeadWORKS to secure a better future for her children and support her household. Through various leadership trainings and exposure tours facilitated by BeadWORKS, Meroni has blossomed into a prominent figure within her beading group and community. Click on the right arrow in the top left of the screen to move forward.

Save the Elephants, Loisaba Conservancy, Naibunga Lower Community Conservancy, and Chui Mamas are critical partners for our active human-elephant coexistence work.