Photos: ‘Elephants of Asia’ exhibit at L.A. Zoo

Spectators watch from a safe distance as Tina, one of two Asian elephants, eats a lunch of hay.
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Instead of the old exhibit’s half-acre of dirt and concrete, the new enclosure offers 3.8 acres -- sand, grassy hills, swimming pools, a waterfall and a two-story barn with radiant-heated floors.
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Billy, the male Asian elephant, takes a dip in the waterfall. The zoo has been exhibiting elephants since 1966.
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Spectators watch the elephants from the railing. Over the last five years alone, the exhibit has been scrutinized by city officials, opposed by animal welfare advocates and doggedly championed by zookeepers.
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The female Asian elephants, Tina and Jewel, arrived from the San Diego Zoo last month. Tina is 37 to 44 years old and Jewel is 42 to 47 years old. They are kept together -- and separate from Billy.
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The expansive grounds includes a maze of flexible fencing that allows zookeepers to cordon off one elephant or to open gates and let one or more of them roam.
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Billy, the male Asian elephant, takes a shower in the waterfall. Zoo officials say the new exhibit will meet the pachyderms’ needs and educate visitors about conservation efforts in the wild.
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Public walkways wind through different pavilions named for Asian countries -- Cambodia, China, India and Thailand -- with video presentations on conservation and fundraising efforts.
See full story  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)