Elephant Walk

Elephant Walk. Historic Maryland Zoo. , Shortly after sunrise on October 17 1985, keepers walked three African elephants from the Main Valley to their new home on the far side of the Zoo. But this was not the first time that Zoo elephants had made that trek., Bill Walters was 16 years old when he started working at the Zoo in 1966. During his record-breaking tenure (55 years and counting), he has worked with all sorts of animals. For many years, he helped manage the elephants, which were housed in the Main Valley at the time. He and the other keepers would walk, or sometimes even ride, the elephants through the Zoo to the field where the current elephant exhibit is now located so that they could exercise and graze. They would follow this route, down what was formerly known as "Wading Bird Hill," and visitors could watch them pass. "I would usually come in on my days off to do this," recalled Walters. "The elephants particularly enjoyed playing in a large fountain that used to be at the bottom of the hill."