Paul Harpley (MA'92), project manager for the Toronto Zoo, certainly made good use of his graduate work at York. His master's thesis, "Western Perceptions of Savannas," was the basis for the new African Savanna Project recently opened at the Metro Zoo.

    Harpley's vision was ambitious: take 30 acres of parkland, and some already existing exhibit buildings that were created in 1974 to resemble an African veldt, and transform them into a realistic example of East African savanna habitat. Savannas, found throughout the world, are an intermediate zone between grassland and forest.

    Since 1993, the savanna project team has been busy creating a miniature version of Africa's Great Rift Valley which encompasses watering holes, kopjes (rocky outcroppings), a hog-back ridge, and wet and dry savannas. They used North American trees and plants that would look like East African flora, but still be able to survive harsh Canadian winters. For example, pruned and trained apple trees look remarkably like acacias, says Harpley.

    Harpley created a special advisory group to assist with the savanna re-creation, including former East Africans now living in Canada, a variety of government organizations and NGOs from Kenya, and interested experts in the field such as York geography professor Gerald Walker. Among several recommendations, the advisory group expanded the scope of the initial exhibit to include a small working East African farm, a market square reminiscent of Mombasa, an outdoor restaurant (serving East African food) where visitors can lunch and overlook the entire site, along with a safari park for overnight camping.

    "The human/nature relationship was key to the savanna project," says Harpley. "This exhibit will still be relevant 20 years from now."