Director of the North Carolina Zoological Park, Dr. David Jones, has been involved in zoos and other wildlife facilities for over 35 years. In school, Dr. Jones majored in Zoology and Veterinary. He then became involved in the Zoological Society of London for 25 years. He has been involved in and led numerous committees including: Fauna and Flora International, World Wildlife Fund, and Audubon North Carolina. Jones feels strongly about the conservation of natural resources and how to display these connections to the public. This drive is what led to the creation of the new Watani Grasslands Reserve.

This idea came about seven years ago. Jones wanted to put elephants in a setting that families could come to and learn enthusiastically about the importance and behavior roles of these species. Jones feels that families should be able to see elephants and other animals in their natural habitats. He boldly stated, “The days are gone where you can put animals like this in some Victorian, menagerie setting.”

Of course, there were many challenges when taking on a project of this magnitude. When dealing with huge animals, such as elephants, strength becomes an obstacle. The barns used for elephant breeding and housing had to be able to restrain a 5 ton bull elephant. Jones commented that elephants are a lot like people in that they don’t always get along with each other. In order to maneuver the elephants within the barns safely, 30 hydraulic doors were installed. Also, to deal with the very distinct four seasons of Randolph County, the elephants are comforted with hot showers and underground heat.

“There is nothing more memorable for a 10 year old child than standing on this walkway and being 40 feet away from a 10 foot high, 4 ton bull elephant,” reflected Jones. He also emphasized that watching it on television and getting the same experience was “rubbish.” The whole purpose of this project was to create an African environment so people could be submerged into the African grasslands.

The Watani Grasslands Reserve is still improving every day. Jones expects there to be 100 animals on the grasslands interacting like they do in the wild. According to Dr. Jones, the Watani Grasslands Reserve “is all about making connections.”