The Queen has officially launched a new £2m (US$2.5m, €2.3m) elephant centre at Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire, UK, feeding a banana to one of the herd to signify the opening.

The new centre, which features 30 acres (12 hectares) of outdoor paddock space, is a 700sq m (7,500sq ft) state-of-the-art home for the zoo’s elephant herd.

Designed to replicate the feeling of being on safari, the enclosure uses timed lights and nets which automatically drop down at intervals to feed the animals. The barn is also filled with one-metre deep soft sand flooring.

Within the centre, special microphones also pick up "infrasonic" sounds used by elephants to communicate which cannot be heard by humans. These soundwaves appear on an electronic screen which sits above the enclosure.

The Zoological Society of London (ZSL), which manages Whipsnade Zoo, is involved in more than 50 conservation efforts promoting elephants and peaceful relations with humans. The Queen is patron to the charity.

The zoo’s new elephant centre opens to the public tomorrow (12 April).