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Associated Press
12-08-2025
- Associated Press
In Celebration of World Elephant Day, San Diego Zoo Safari Park Announces Elephant Valley to Open Early 2026
Largest Project in San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance History is 80% Complete SAN DIEGO, Aug. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, in celebration of World Elephant Day, San Diego Zoo Safari Park announces Denny Sanford Elephant Valley will open in early 2026. The largest and most transformative project in San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance's 109-year history is 80% complete. This first-of-its-kind experience will offer new insight into the role San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance pursues as a leader in wildlife conservation, highlighting its global partners and celebrating the vibrant cultures and local communities in Kenya where people and elephants coexist. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is grateful for the more than 4,100 donors who made Elephant Valley possible, including a lead gift from Denny Sanford. 'Denny Sanford Elephant Valley's innovative design celebrates the world's largest land mammal and the communities that coexist with them,' said Shawn Dixon, interim president and chief executive officer at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. 'Every detail of this habitat has been purposefully designed to reflect the elephants' natural environment, supporting their well-being while inspiring meaningful connections. We're eager to welcome guests in early 2026 to experience a place unlike any other—where wildlife and people come together in powerful new ways.' Elephant Valley is an immersive journey for guests to learn about the crucial role elephants serve as ecosystem engineers, and better understand the nuances of the herd's rich social structure. Surrounded by elephants on multiple sides, guests will encounter what it feels like to walk beside the herd. The dynamic savanna at the heart of the Safari Park aims to generate greater empathy, understanding and appreciation for elephants, encouraging guests to protect them for generations to come. Each facet of Elephant Valley is meticulously designed to reflect the seasonal variations of the African savanna year-round. The rich plant life in Elephant Valley has been curated by a team of expert horticulturists and arborists to authentically replicate the sights, sounds and smells of Africa's diverse ecosystems, specifically the vast savanna and grasslands. More than 350 individual plants have been grown for Elephant Valley, representing rare and endangered African plants. Guests will venture through pathways lined with African thorn trees, a common source of food for elephants. Other African trees including the vulnerable kokerboom and endangered Nubian dragon tree, some of which have been growing at the Safari Park since it opened 53 years ago, have new homes in Elephant Valley. Several African plants, including the vulnerable Mulanje and Gorongo cycads, were originally seized by authorities from illegal trafficking before finding refuge in Elephant Valley. Mkutano House is a unique dining destination positioned directly alongside one of Elephant Valley's two expansive watering holes, a 240,000-gallon oasis where the herd wades, swims and plays—a profound experience for those who pay witness to their natural bonding behavior. The two-story restaurant at the center of the Elephant Valley experience is inspired by the locations frequented by travelers while on safari in Africa. The Swahili word Mkutano refers to gathering with purpose. Nearby, Mkutano Park will serve as a gathering place to learn from educators about the awe-inspiring wildlife of the region. Elephant Valley will bridge the vital work happening in San Diego to the collaborative elephant conservation initiatives San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance supports in the African savanna. Elephants across Africa are facing immense threats that are taking a toll on their populations, including habitat loss, poaching and challenges to human-wildlife coexistence. African savanna elephants are currently listed as Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. Research conducted in Africa and with the Safari Park's elephant herd provide an opportunity to advance technologies and approaches to monitor and protect elephants in the wild, and support coexistence. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance works closely with Save the Elephants, The Nature Conservancy, Northern Rangelands Trust, Kenya Wildlife Service and Reteti Elephant Sanctuary for conservation of African savanna elephants. Increasing knowledge of elephant health needs and the complexity of their social behaviors has equipped the organization and its partners with valuable insight into what successful conservation outcomes look like for the species. Guests are invited to journey into Elephant Valley in early 2026. For more information, visit About San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, a nonprofit conservation leader, inspires passion for nature and collaboration for a healthier world. The Alliance supports innovative conservation science through global partnerships and groundbreaking efforts at the world-famous San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park, both leading zoological institutions and accredited botanical gardens. Through wildlife care expertise, cutting-edge science and continued collaboration, more than 44 endangered species have been reintroduced to native habitats. The Alliance reaches over 1 billion people annually through its two conservation parks and media channels in 170 countries, including San Diego Zoo Wildlife Explorers television, available in children's hospitals across 14 countries. Wildlife Allies—members, donors and guests—make success possible. PRESS ROOM: Link includes: PERMITTED USE: Images and video(s) are provided to the media solely for reproduction, public display, and distribution in a professional journalistic non-commercial and non-sponsored context in connection with newspaper, magazine, broadcast media (radio, television) or internet media (ad enabled blog, webcasts, webinars, podcasts). Image(s)and video(s)may not be made available for public or commercial download, licensing or sale. ADDITIONAL LIMITATION: Media acknowledges and agrees that San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance specifically does not grant a right to sublicense any image and/or video without the prior express written consent of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance in each instance and at its sole discretion. REQUIRED CREDIT AND CAPTION: All image and/or video uses must bear the copyright notice and/or be properly credited to the relevant photographer, as shown in the image metadata, and must be accompanied by a caption that makes reference to the San Diego Zoo and/or San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Any uses in which the image and/or video appears without proper copyright notice, photographer credit and a caption referencing the San Diego Zoo, San Diego Zoo Safari Park, and/or San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance are subject to paid licensing. AP PERMITTED USE: Specific to the Associated Press ('AP') only, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance has provided to the AP one or more photograph(s)and/or video(s) for distribution by the AP to its subscribers and customers solely for editorial publication. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is the sole copyright owner of the photograph(s)and/or video(s)furnished to AP for editorial publication by AP and its subscribers and customers in all media now known or hereafter created. Said content is a factually accurate rendering of what it depicts and has not been modified or augmented except for standard cropping and toning. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
CNN
09-07-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Hear audio from 2024 fundraiser where Trump said he threatened to bomb Moscow and Beijing
CNN's Kaitlan Collins speaks with the authors of a new book that reveals President Donald Trump told a private gathering of donors in 2024 that he once sought to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin from attacking Ukraine and to deter Chinese President Xi Jinping from attacking Taiwan by threatening to 'bomb the sh*t' out of Moscow and Beijing in retaliation.
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Bill Belichick's Age-Gap Romance With Jordon Hudson Is Turning Into a 'PR Nightmare' at His New Job
Jordon Hudson can't seem to stay out of the headlines even though she's not the one who was hired by University of North Carolina (UNC) to coach their football team. That job is reserved for her boyfriend, former NFL coach Bill Belichick, who just happens to be 48 years older than her. The 24-year-old beauty queen seems to have a knack for drawing controversy and is now being described as a 'public relations nightmare' for the 73-year-old coach. More from SheKnows Mila Kunis & Ashton Kutcher's Romantic Getaway Sends a Message After Public Backlash The backlash at UNC is being felt across the board as the school is being pressured to let Belichick go by alumni donors and faculty members. The Daily Mail obtained emails via a public records request, and the messages are quite pointed. One donor wrote angrily, 'What a total embarrassment to UNC. I am withdrawing all my donations and future donations.' Another email from faculty member Christopher McLaughlin, a professor of Public Law and Government, to UNC Athletics Director Bubba Cunningham, argued about the unwanted attention Hudson was drawing to the program. 'When you agreed to pay a king's ransom to hire Bill Belichick, did you also know that you [were] hiring Jordon Hudson to serve as the primary face of [UNC] athletics? Normally, I would say the University should not concern itself with its employees' personal lives,' McLaughlin wrote. 'But when a prominent employee injects his significant other into the University's affairs, it becomes the University's concern. The staff member went on to describe Hudson as 'an embarrassment' while begging the school's athletic director to 'please end this circus before the season begins.' Hudson also became a hot topic in April when she interrupted Belichick's CBS Sunday Morning interview with Tony Dokoupil. 'We're not talking about this,' she said from off-camera when the reporter asked her boyfriend about their romantic origin story. Their ties are both personal and professional because Hudson is listed as the Chief Operating Officer of Belichick Productions and CEO & Founder of Trouble Cub Enterprises, per LinkedIn, and not everyone likes that. 'I think it's ironic that a man who really controlled everything — and I mean everything — now is being controlled by some other person,' said Upton Bell, a former general manager of the Patriots, told The New York Times on May 20. 'You can't just point at the woman here and say, 'She is being controlling. That only happens if you let yourself be controlled.' UNC's first football game of the season is Sept. 1, and Hudson is expected to be rooting for Belichick from the of SheKnows Amber Heard's Entire Dating History: Johnny Depp, Elon Musk, & More 11 of Prince William & Kate Middleton's Biggest Relationship Controversies 13 Celebrities Who Secretly Welcomed Children During Affairs
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rep. Jasmine Crockett Says Dems Already Backing ‘Safest White Boy' for President in 2028: ‘One Specific Candidate'
Democrats are eying the 'safest white boy' ahead of the 2028 election, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett told 'Urban View' hosts Clay Cane and Reecie Colbert in a clip from a town hall shared online Friday. She didn't name names, but suggested the party already has 'one specific candidate' in mind. In the clip shared by Cane, the group is speaking about potential candidates when Crockett offers her insight. 'It is, it is this fear that the people within the party, within the primary system, will have about voting for a woman because every time we voted for a woman, we've lost,' she explained. 'So far. And I think that that's a natural fear because we just want to win. So there's a lot of people that are like, you know what? Like, let's go find the safest white boy we can find. I mean, I'm just saying,' she added. 'No, for real. And to be clear, when we talk about them, I can tell you that there is one specific candidate,' Crockett continued. 'I had a donor on the phone with me telling me that all the donors are lining up behind that candidate. So I can tell, and I tell you, it's not a black person nor a woman, okay?' The party — or 'they' as she put it — 'When I say 'they,' it's the same donors that most likely had their opinions about Joe Biden and moved … So like, that would be the 'they' that I would talk about,' she said. 'Trump, who is a misogynist. Trump, who is going to ramp up the misogynists in the first place because that's what he does. He is disrespectful,' she added. 'Like, right now, he still doesn't know how to deal with me because if you punch me, I'm punching back, okay? So, like, here's the deal. Here's the deal. Now, I know he think he's running again, but that ain't happening. I don't care what all is going on in in this country, and I don't care how many things we won't say we are absolutely going to do. I am telling y'all with all confidence he is not running for a third term. That is not a thing.' The clip is part of a town hall that will be released on May 15. The post Rep. Jasmine Crockett Says Dems Already Backing 'Safest White Boy' for President in 2028: 'One Specific Candidate' | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
