Las Vegas Weekly

July 2, 2009 · 7:48 AM

Photo Gallery: San Diego Zoo’s Elephant Odyssey is a perfect excursion

By Robin Leach

Photo: Tom Donoghue/www.donoghuephotography.com

When desert temperatures race into triple digits, Las Vegas locals start thinking of nearby escapes to catch a cool breeze. One of the most interesting attractions only a five-hour drive or one-hour flight away is the 100-acre world class San Diego Zoo, which is home to more than 4,000 rare and endangered animals representing more than 800 species. The botanical collection has more than 700,000 exotic plants.

The San Diego Zoo has the largest population of giant pandas in America, but our contributing photographer Tom Donoghue had the new Elephant Odyssey in focus when he went there to capture this photo gallery of extraordinary shots.

The new $45 million Harry and Grace Steele Elephant Odyssey took four years to create and is home to more than 35 species. Their history spans 12,000 years from the Pleistocene epoch when mammoths and saber-toothed cats roamed Southern California. The Odyssey, the Zoo’s largest exhibit undertaken at one time, is 7.5 acres, and the elephant exhibit alone is 2.5 acres with a 137,000-gallon pool. For the first time in 60 years, the California condor, once near extinction, is on exhibit there.

Enjoy the photos, and we can assure you that a day there makes for a perfectly enjoyable and educational mini-vacation escape.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

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— From Vegas Deluxe

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