PORTLAND — At the Oregon Zoo, the polar bears will soon be helping the elephants stay warm.
The Oregonian reports that the Portland zoo says crews are building a “geothermal loop” that will transfer the heat generated by the cooling system in the polar bear exhibit to the elephants’ new indoor facility. It’s part of the construction involved in a new $53 million elephant exhibit area called Elephant Lands.
The heat from the cooling system is currently just expelled. It will travel from the polar bear area to the elephants through rows of coils buried 12 feet underground.
The zoo says the heat recapture and other energy-efficient design ideas are expected to dramatically cut Elephant Land’s energy requirements.
Zoo construction manager Jim Mitchell says other renewable heat sources will be fed into the geothermal system eventually.
