North American Asian Elephant Population

AmbikaFan said:
This is the first time Endangered Ark has joined in an SSP decision. Since he was not sent to Denver's bachelor herd, I hope this means there are plans to make it a breeding institution again. Get two young females in there soon to utilize Indy's wild-born genes, and then Hugo will be there to breed any offspring. Just like the plan in OKC. Bring on the girls!
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Just a note:. Hugo is the grandson of Ringling's prolific Vance. With Ringling the only source of "extra" girls these days, some care is needed to make sure that any girl they acquire has been sired by Charlie and not Vance.
 
From Topeka Zoo Facebook, it sounds like Cora is in hospice-like care:
"Two of our older animals are most likely nearing the end of their lives. Cora, the Asian elephant is 61 years old and had decreased appetite and has been less active over the past few days. Bloodwork shows signs of tissue destruction and in her case, most likely points to heart failure. Avus, the African lion is 14 and has been less active and "wobbly" on his feet. He had a CT scan last week and the results were that he is dealing with degenerative disc disease in multiple points along his spine. Their care team's main focus at this point is to ensure that they are comfortable. They are both loved members of our family here. Thank you for your continued positive support."
 
Elephant Cow Chendra in Oregon Zoo is pregnant !!!!!!!!!!
Oregon Zoo announces Chendra the elephant is pregnant, waits for definitive TB diagnosis
This is a huge success !!!!! At the age of 26 he is almost out of reproduction. Plus, he's the only Borneo elephant in the USA!!! I wonder what the activists say.;) They continually struggle to place Chendra in the sanctuary because they abuse it and live in terrible conditions.:D And she gets pregnant for the first time in 26 years! And it still has a handicap after an injury in the wild. At last they might be silent and realize that they could forgive their slander and blame.:mad: This is why the Oregon Zoo has proven that what activists say is false information. Congratulations to Oregon Zoo !!!:)
 
That's fantastic!!! Chendra is a beautiful girl who definitely looks a bit different, smaller and ever-so-slightly redder than a typical Asian elephant, so it's important that this Bornean "subspecies" is carried forth, at least in part. Chendra seems gentle and quiet and always seemed to be just outside the main group of Shine, Rose-tu, and (then) Lily, so maybe this will make her a much more integral part of the herd. When you see her, it's hard not to become very attached!

Oregon also really deserves this good news. In five years, they lost Rama, Packy, and Tusko to TB, and then oh-so-beloved calf Lily to EEHV, leaving the herd half its size and without a breeding male. Shine won't be bred because of cysts, but now with the addition of Samson, both Rose-Tu and Chendra can be bred. And what a fine addition to the gene pool this new calf will be! A native-born mom and at least one native-born grandparent (Tusko or Kitty) depending on whether Samudra or Samson is the sire! I'm sure the sentimental favorite is Samudra, the late Lily's full brother.

It's such a shame that TB continues to dog the Oregon herd, especially now with pregnant Chendra. The article says if she does develop the full-blown disease, she can be treated and cured long before her due date. I hope that's so, but experience has shown Oregon TB to be antibiotic-resistent, leaving only 1 or 2 drug choices that have proven to have side effects that put quality of life into jeopardy. I pray that this will not be the case for dear Chendra and that the days of loss after loss for Oregon are at an end.

Congratulations!
 
Just a couple of update questions:

Has any one noticed who could be missing at ALS? Records indicate that they should have 17, but ALS have the number as 16 to all the press covering the keeper attack.

Is the keeper ok and able to return? Has the elephant in question been revealed?

The new Secrets of the Zoo about Columbus has had some interestjng elephant coverage, including new yoga for 17,000 pound (!!!!) Hank, social introduction between Hank and Beco, and the elephant watch and eventual birth of Phoebe's calf. They show the howdy introductions between Phoebe/Ellie and aunties Rudy and Sunny. But Connie wasn't included, and she's an experienced auntie, having been there for both of Phoebe's prior calves. Nor has she been seen in any of the random candid shots around the zoo. Is she still there? Is there a reason she isn't with the auntie group?
 
I'm concerned with the mating of Chendra with a mainland Asian bull. Wouldn't the calf be too large for her to deliver?
 
tigris115 said:
I'm concerned with the mating of Chendra with a mainland Asian bull. Wouldn't the calf be too large for her to deliver?
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Chendra is definitely smaller than other females, but the advantage here is that both of the potential sires are small too. Samudra is only 11, so he's nowhere near fully grown, and an article showing Samson meeting the young bull for the first time reveals that Samson isn't much bigger! Samudra weighs roughly 8500 pounds and Samson weighs 9500, so Chendra is fortunate to have particularly well-sized males for her.

This was a surprise to many of us, but Chendra and Samudra had become friends. My bet is on him being the sire. Why? They knew each other and were comfortable together. Samson didn't arrive in Oregon until last April 2018, so he wouldn't have been out of quarantine until May, and then introductions to the rest of the building and the outdoor spaces and then, one by one, the other elephants could have taken several months. For a calf due in late 2020, counting back 22 months means Samson and Chendra could not have had a lengthy courtship lol. They would have had to be successful within the first four or so months of meeting. She's shy, so this seems less likely to me, but then again Samson is a proven stud and may have all the right moves!

I am Sam, Sam I am: Samudra meets Samson at Oregon Zoo
 
0.1 Beulah Mae of R.W. Commerford & Sons Petting Zoo (noted for its very controversial appearances at The Big E fair) has died of apparent natural causes.


And here's PETA's reaction as expected.

Beulah the Elephant Died Just As She Lived—a Prisoner | PETA

Considering the atrocious conditions for her, this was a downright mercy. I really wished she could have been sent to a zoo or a sanctuary before she died. Hopefully Minnie and Karen, the remaining elephants get to be freed soon.

The North American population now consists of 231 (50.181) Asian elephants (if i'm not missing anyone).
 
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This is really terrible. Oregon's elephant program has experienced so much loss in recent years, including calf Lily to EEHV, that this seems a particularly cruel loss. Even worse, Bob Lee says she will be unlikely to conceive again. Condolences to everyone who loved and worked with Chendra.
 
AmbikaFan said:
This is really terrible. Oregon's elephant program has experienced so much loss in recent years, including calf Lily to EEHV, that this seems a particularly cruel loss. Even worse, Bob Lee says she will be unlikely to conceive again. Condolences to everyone who loved and worked with Chendra.
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That's terrible news.:( Now I just hope it will be cured and healthy. The only hope in the Oregon Zoo on the calf is now just Rose-Tu. I hope to get pregnant soon.
 
Is there an updated list on this thread of all Asian Elephants in North America? I see two on the first page, but I wouldn't know enough about the current population to say if it was accurate or not.
 
EsserWarrior said:
Is there an updated list on this thread of all Asian Elephants in North America? I see two on the first page, but I wouldn't know enough about the current population to say if it was accurate or not.
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That usually happens at the beginning of each year.
 
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