Elvis alive and well at zoo

     By Tina Allen
     View staff writer
      The Southern Nevada Zoological-Botanical Park recently unveiled its latest habitat -- a new home for Elvis the alligator.
      The exhibit was designed by park director and CEO Pat Dingle, who wanted to create a prehistoric theme by combining the alligator -- which comes from the order Crocodilia, the most ancient ancestor to the prehistoric dinosaur -- with Cycads, the most ancient gymnosperm or seed-bearing plant, which dates back 250 million years.
      "The basic principle is letting people, kids, go nose to nose with the big animal," Dingle said of the 2,250-square-foot exhibit, which boasts a 1,700-gallon pond with an underwater viewing area. "So it's designed with that in mind and for the animal's comfort."
      Elvis, a 14-year-old, 7-foot American alligator, was brought to the zoo in 1991 after being confiscated by the Nevada Division of Wildlife from a private citizen who retained him as an illegal pet.
      He was named after the alligator in the television show "Miami Vice."
      Alligators can live to be about 60 to 75 years old and grow to about 15 feet in length.
      Zoo curator Dara Hall said Elvis has grown 3 feet since he was brought to the zoo. He was released in his new home, which took 19 months to complete, about three weeks ago.
      "The first time he got out here, he just didn't know what to do with himself," Hall said. "He was swimming, probably one of his best swims. He loves to be submerged in the water. He has areas of sunlight he never knew existed before."
      Elvis thrives on a diet of mostly chicken, fish and rats, Hall said. In the wild, she said, alligators can live in below freezing temperatures by resting in the shallow end of water and putting their nose through an ice hole. In such instances, they go into a dormancy stage during the winter and live off the fat in their tail.
      The Cycads in the exhibit provide a lush, tropical landscape surrounding the pond. Hall said the plants, which were donated by various botanical gardens, are an endangered species.
      "A lot of people don't think of plants as endangered, they only think of animals," Hall said. "There are about 150 different species known, and all Cycads are endangered."
      She said the plants grow well in a vast range of climates, including tropical, subtropical and temperate areas, and are often confused with ferns or palms because of their similar appearance. Many of them became endangered because of poaching and habitat destruction, Hall said. Others, she said, never had a high quantity to begin with.
      The park features more than 163 animals, including 33 species of birds, 27 species of reptiles and 11 species of mammals. In addition, it is home to the last family of Barbary apes in the United States.
      "What we see ourselves as is a 2 1/2-acre living campus for education," Hall said. "You really get to know each of the animals, their personalities."
      The Southern Nevada Zoological-Botanical Park, 1775 N. Rancho Drive, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. General admission is $5.95 and $3.95 for senior citizens ages 62 and older and children ages 2 to 12. Children younger than 2 are free. Those interested can call 647-4685 or access the Web site at www.lvrj.com/communitylink/zoo/.