WASHINGTON -- Kandula, the first male elephant born at the Washington National Zoo got quite a birthday present Tuesday, a new home that's more than 16,000 square feet in size.
Kandula explored his new stomping grounds to cheers from zoo staff on his second birthday.
The zoo's new elephant yard is one phase of a plan to triple the zoo's elephant space and eventually house a herd of Asian elephants for breeding.
The new yard includes a wading pool, lots of hay and tires for Kandula and his mother, Shanthi, to play on. It also features a hydraulic gate designed to withstand 10,000 pounds of force.
Kandula now weighs about 2,000 pounds, but could one day weigh in at five times that.
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New Elephant Yard
