Basel Zoo's new elephant compound “Tembea” opened in March 2017. The compound is based on the latest findings pertaining to elephant-keeping. With around 5,000 m², the animals now have much more space at their disposal. The public can observe the elephants in the free-range hall and in the savannah landscape, which is designed to closely resemble nature. The building encompasses the stalls, the care area, the visitor level and the hay store at street level.

Thanks to the elephant house's new location at the edge of the zoo, it was possible to build three spacious outdoor enclosures, which were given different ground substrates. The connections between the enclosures can be varied, so that walking routes change. Rocks, tree islands, dead trees, wallows, bathing pools and automatic feeders (121 feeding points, 83 of which can be controlled by computer) provide for activity and exercise. Coinciding with the move to the new compound, the manner of keeping was changed: the “protected contact” system is now used, so the animals can live as naturally as possible in their own social structure. This also includes the daily training, during which there is always a barrier between the human being and the animal. Visitors can now watch the training indoors.