Habitat Usage by Captive African Elephants

This study examines how eight African elephants at the Indianapolis Zoo allocate time to different areas of their 15,000 square foot yard. For data collection purposes I divided the exhibit into 6 sections: Barn, Pool, Upper Level, Lower Level, Far End, and Hill. Based on preliminary observations, I expect the elephants to divide their time in the exhibit mainly between the Far End of the habitat and the Barn area. I observed the animals while they had free range of their environment, without keepers or novel stimuli present. Finding out which areas of the exhibit are most used by the elephants is the first step towards promoting full use of the exhibit. The results of this study could help us better understand how captive elephants interact with their environment and how best to design future habitats to encourage species-specific behavior.