Toyota Elephant Passage

Denver Zoo (Denver, Colorado)

Toyota Elephant Passage is the Denver Zoo’s most ambitious and innovative project ever undertaken. The 10-acre, $50 million exhibit focuses on the rich history of animals in Asian culture, and today’s complicated relationships between people and wildlife in that part of the world.

Over a period of six years, ECOS worked alongside zoo staff and other key consultants, leading all exhibition and interactive media development, cultural research and theming, in-country artifact acquisition, interpretive content creation, wayfinding system and donor recognition design, photography, videography/audio recording, and fabricator management.

Extensive site theming in the exhibit creates three distinct zones of experience to communicate critical messages and showcase the animals: wildlife preserve, family village, and rural outpost. Through interactive media kiosks, visitors can learn about ongoing conservation programs and take direct action to contribute to Asian wildlife welfare.