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As three-year-old elephant Lily approached her herd’s new swimming pool, she didn’t hesitate to jump into the cold water and use her trunk to scoop up fresh-cut apples floating on the surface. She was soon joined by her mother, Rose-Tu, and the two dove and splashed as they played in the Oregon Zoo‘s 80-foot-wide, 160,000-gallon pool up to 12 feet deep. (To see a video of Lily and Rose-Tu’s first swim in the Elephant Pool, visit .)

The pool is just one part of a greatly expanded habitat for the zoo’s small herd of Asian elephants. The entire Elephant Lands, which opened Wednesday, is expected to become a model for other zoos. Officials conducted an early media tour to show the six-acre development that includes the pool, an interpretive center and indoor viewing area in the 33,000-square-foot Forest Hall, a new 14,000-square-foot barn and several outdoor habitat areas with paths, warming sheds and feeding stations.

The Elephant Lands project was $57 million, and was paid for with bond money approved by voters in 2008. The budget covered construction of a new service access road, work to reroute the zoo train loop and relocation of the zoo’s Wildlife Live headquarters.

Construction took three years to complete, said Jim Mitchell, the zoo’s construction manager.

鈥淚t was a phased project and we had to keep the elephants in place while we were building,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat definitely added time to project 鈥� plus we put a complete new service road around the zoo and that all had to be done before we actually started Elephants Lands.鈥�

Mitchell was accompanied on the tour by zoo spokesman Hova Najarian, zoo bond program director Heidi Rahn and elephant curator Bob Lee.

Elephant Lands will give zoo visitors a much closer view of the animals, but the important thing, Rahn said, is that the new environs emulate a natural habitat.

For example, automated feeders dispense food at random times, which encourages natural foraging behaviors, and ample land allows the elephants to roam.

鈥淭his will be a model for other zoos to follow,鈥� Rahn said. 鈥淭his is such a huge milestone for the zoo and the community. The community really stepped up to make sure we have the best habitat for our elephants.鈥�

The total bond issue was for $125 million, and Elephants Land is the fourth project out of eight that the bond will pay for, she said.

Other projects already completed include the new Veterinary Medical Center, an upgrade to the water filtration system in the penguin habitat and the Condors of Columbia exhibit. Currently, a new Education Center is being built. A full renovation of the polar bear habitat, and expansions of the primate and rhino habitats are in the works.

In planning for Elephant Lands, zoo staffers visited zoos in Europe and the U.S., Rahn said, and learned best practices for elephant habitats to incorporate into the design.

鈥淭he Oregon Zoo has always been a leader in elephant management and research, and this puts us at the top of all zoos,鈥� she said.

Research is essential because, as the interpretive center in Forest Hall explains, natural habitats for Asian elephants are threatened 鈥� particularly because of palm oil plantation expansions.

One of the most impressive displays in Forest Hall is a full-size photograph of 53-year-old Packy, the zoo’s oldest elephant. The photo is on clear glass and can be viewed from both sides, giving the impression that there really is an elephant in the room.

Forest Hall also has auditorium seating overlooking a large indoor enclosure with 40-foot walls and 4 feet of sand on the floor with dune play areas.

After their swim, Lily squealed with delight as she led Rose-Tu into the enclosure at Forest Hall. Lily ran up to a large tower that dominates the center, where surprises are hidden in small holes. There, she used her trunk to find some treats, including some water, which she promptly sprayed on herself. Then she got dirty all over again by rolling around on one of the sand dunes.

Elephants are considered highly intelligent and social animals that adopt a matriarchal family structure. According to a zoo pamphlet, that structure was the motivating factor behind the recent expansion.

鈥淭his ancient matriarchal structure is the guiding principle of the Oregon Zoo’s elephant vision,鈥� the pamphlet reads. 鈥淐aring for elephant families means nurturing complex relationships and providing a life and environment full of choice.鈥�

But for Lee, the curator, seeing Elephant Lands completed is a bit more personal.

鈥淔or me it’s the realization of a dream,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e have all these ideas in our head about the perfect situation for the animals and go home every night and think, 鈥榃hat more could we have done?’ 鈥�

Lee said knowing that the community is behind the creation of Elephant Lands is for him an unparalleled experience.

鈥淚t gives me a kind of joy I haven’t had before,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t’s incredible to have the bond measure and know that it was in the best interest for the animals. It was truly inspired through their eyes and giving them what they need.鈥�

Elephant Lands

Location: Oregon Zoo

Cost: $57 million

Construction start date: January 2013

Construction completion date: December 2015

Owner and developer: Oregon Zoo

Architect/management: SRG Partnership

Zoo architect/planning/exhibit design: CLR Design

Landscape architect: PLACE Studio

Civil engineering: KPFF Consulting Engineers

Structural engineering: Equilibrium Engineers

Mechanical/electrical/plumbing: PAE Consulting Engineers

Life support engineering: TJP Engineering

Cost estimating: Rider Levett Bucknall

General contractor: Lease Crutcher Lewis