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The Oregon Zoo has been tapped as part of a national study to determine the best way to design facilities for elephants.

The elephant facility study is funded by an $800,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. By examining 290 elephants housed in zoos across the country, including the Oregon Zoo’s herd of Asian elephants, the study hopes to update accreditation standards for all Association of Zoos and Aquariums elephant-holding facilities. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums is a nonprofit that works to advance and improve zoos around the U.S.

With a $125 million bond approved by voters in 2008, the Oregon Zoo has several projects planned and under construction to improve exhibits for animals, including a revamp of the zoo’s 1959 elephant exhibit. The current exhibit, built in the 1960s, is too small for the animals and outdated, according to Bill LaMarche, spokesman for the Oregon Zoo.

“We’ve added acreage to the outside yards, but the facilities haven’t changed since they were built,” LaMarche said. “This study, along with our bond funds, gives us a great opportunity to expand our elephant program and change the way we manage our elephants.

The zoo’s director of elephant habitats Mike Kiel as well as deputy conservation manager Dr. David Shepherdson and research associate Karen Lewis will lead the Oregon Zoo’s part of the study, which will begin Dec. 1.