Groucho The Elephant Celebrates 50th Birthday At Denver Zoo
DENVER (CBS4) - The Denver Zoo is celebrating one of its elephant's 50th birthdays. Groucho celebrated the milestone on New Year's Day.
Zoo staff members describe Groucho as a leader and teacher to the other young elephants. Groucho is now three years older than the median life span for a male Asian elephant.
Groucho is now considered a geriatric elephant so zoo staff said his care will differ from the other elephants. Groucho and the other elephants live in the zoo's Toyota Elephant Passage exhibit.
The Toyota Elephant Passage, which opened in 2012 and cost $50 million, is one of the largest and most complex elephant exhibits in North America. It features two miles of interconnected trails, more than 1.2 million gallons of water for swimming and bathing, six outdoor yards and nine indoor areas, and various other features that ensure their physical, mental and behavioral wellbeing.