North American Asian Elephant Institutions

I say just send Patty and Happy to Tenessee while using their previous space for Indian Rhinos. Then if you really wanna, you could renovate the whole monorail space to be a better exhibit for all the Asian animals like we all fantasize about
 
tigris115 said:
I say just send Patty and Happy to Tenessee while using their previous space for Indian Rhinos. Then if you really wanna, you could renovate the whole monorail space to be a better exhibit for all the Asian animals like we all fantasize about
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I know I'm a broken record, but elephants are the poster animals for conservation, and with so few places to see one now, it seems inconceivable that New York City would not be able to show millions of people--who otherwise might never experience this remarkable animal--just what an elephant is. In addition, Happy is famous for the "recognition of self" research she proved. Keeping elephants in the Bronx would entail utilizing space on the "mainland," not Asia Trail, so I'm all for improving that area and introducing rhinos.. Perhaps a retirement herd until a breeding group is found, but not having elephants in NYC would be devastating, for both conservation of elephants and conservation in general. And it's a pure waste of expertise and acreage that surpass any other zoo in the US. Given their unique advantages, I think they have a responsibility to keeping elephants in New York.
 
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Given that i'm starting to wonder if ALS is getting a surplus of elephants, maybe it could send some of its elephants there, maybe Johnson as their main sire.
 
Yi Qi said:
Given that i'm starting to wonder if ALS is getting a surplus of elephants, maybe it could send some of its elephants there, maybe Johnson as their main sire.
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Lol. I'm sure ALS doesn't view its seven little girls as a surplus. I'd be all too glad for any solution that ensures elephants will always be in NYC, but remember that Johnson is the father of six of those little darlings and related to nearly all females of reproductive age. ALS does send its males away, however. ABQ's Albert, Portland's Samson (and previously Tusko via Have Trunk Will Travel), and now-Denver's Jake and Chuck are already in the US, Phoebe was sent to Columbus maears ago, and they sent Calvin to Europe where he was an extremely prolific sire until his early death relating to a gruesome foot injury early in life. Just as other males are rotated around the US to keep matriarchal herds together, so too will Johnson probably go to another institution. His father is Calvin, who is now extremely well-represented in both NA and Europe, so I think retirement may be in Johnson's future once he's done at ALS, which could still be 10 years. The Bronx zoo is such a big force in international conservancy that they would probably be able to get wild-born animals to start a herd.
 
The Topeka Zoo has confirmed 61-year old Cora, their last asian elephant is under intensive care following a diagnosis of heart failure, meaning she could be deceased in a few months. This means the Topeka Zoo will no longer exhibit asian elephants, and will be focusing on expanding their african elephant program.
 
Elephant Enthusiast said:
More Home to Roam - The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden & Australia Exhibit, New Elephant Yard Coming To Cincinnati Zoo

The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is launching a $150 million capital campaign for the new master plan. Local philanthropists, Harry and Linda Fath, have stepped up with an unprecedented, transformational gift of $50 million to kick off the campaign.

The jewel of the campaign will be a next generation habitat called Elephant Trek which will be nearly five times the size of the current elephant yards and will feature naturalistic trees, mud wallows, grasses, pools and streams. The effort to build a better home for them demonstrates its continued commitment to care for this magnificent species.

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Even though the design of the habitat is rather simple, the type of design is ideal for all zoological institutions that are committed to their elephant program. A large expanse of land for the elephants to roam and the opportunity to explore different components of the habitat. Based on the renderings, it would appear that the small building in the middle back of the habitat is the indoor holding facility. While small in size, the indoor holding facility should only serve as the night quarters and the elephants should be able to spend a duration of their time in the habitat.

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Based on the rendering and description for Elephant Reserve, the Elephant House will be significantly renovated and a new animal habitat will be added. Since Elephant Reserve is remaining under the same title, it would appear that elephants will reside at Elephant Trek and Elephant Reserve. If this is the case, the Cincinnati Zoo should only have elephants at Elephant Trek and dedicate Elephant Reserve to a different species. Since Rhino Reserve will be dedicated to the Black Rhinoceros once renovations are complete and the Indian Rhinoceros will be phased from the exhibit, Elephant Reserve should house the Indian Rhinoceros. The renovations to Elephant Reserve would enable a breeding pair of Indian Rhinoceros to live in a spacious enclosure and allow the species to reproduce.

The Cincinnati Zoo will certainly be able to develop a matriarchal herd once construction of Elephant Trek is complete. Since the current herd of females are post reproductive, the acquisition of a matriarchal herd would be beneficial. As a recommendation, Johnson from African Lion Safari and Alana, Asha, and April from the Center for Elephant Conservation should be transferred to the Cincinnati Zoo to establish a breeding matriarchal herd. As for the current herd, Sabu should be transferred to the Albuquerque Zoo to breed with Rozana while My Thai, Schottzie, and Jati should be transferred to the Los Angeles Zoo.
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The Cincinnati Zoo is only planing on displaying Elephants at Elephant Trek. Elephant Reserve will be expanded and at the moment the the current plans for it are White Rhinos and Grevy’s Zebra, another type of Giraffe, or something else. The new elephant indoor barn will be under the visiting area at the front of the habitat. After the last Indian Rhino died the zoo decided to phase them out and put their focus on Black and Sumatran rhinos. Also no matter how much I want those moves to happen I doubt the zoo will be getting rid of the girls but last time I talked to the director he said that the zoo is trying to bring in some female elephants from Europe and maybe new male.
 
Mai Thai said:
The Cincinnati Zoo is only planing on displaying Elephants at Elephant Trek. Elephant Reserve will be expanded and at the moment the the current plans for it are White Rhinos and Grevy’s Zebra, another type of Giraffe, or something else. The new elephant indoor barn will be under the visiting area at the front of the habitat. After the last Indian Rhino died the zoo decided to phase them out and put their focus on Black and Sumatran rhinos. Also no matter how much I want those moves to happen I doubt the zoo will be getting rid of the girls but last time I talked to the director he said that the zoo is trying to bring in some female elephants from Europe and maybe new male.
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Why not stay with black rhino and expansion. Plus a New breeding group of Asian eles less the Asian rhinos for the Trek. Seems sufficient pachyderm representation to me!
 
Mai Thai said:
After the last Indian Rhino died the zoo decided to phase them out and put their focus on Black and Sumatran rhinos.
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When you say that they decided to put their focus on Sumatran rhinos, do you mean in an in-situ conservation sense, or do you mean that the zoo actually has plans to get Sumatran rhinos on exhibit at some point in the future :eek:?
 
ZooElephantsMan said:
When you say that they decided to put their focus on Sumatran rhinos, do you mean in an in-situ conservation sense, or do you mean that the zoo actually has plans to get Sumatran rhinos on exhibit at some point in the future :eek:?
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The last Indian Rhino died in 2014. At the time, the zoo still had Sumatran Rhinos.

I would be amazed if there were plans to reacquire them, but I don't believe there are. Cincinnati is still promoting their conversation without holding them, in a similar way to that of zoos elsewhere in the world, like Taronga.
 
ZooElephantsMan said:
When you say that they decided to put their focus on Sumatran rhinos, do you mean in an in-situ conservation sense, or do you mean that the zoo actually has plans to get Sumatran rhinos on exhibit at some point in the future :eek:?
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I wish they could exhibit Sumatran Rhinos again but currently they are only doing in-situ conservation with the Way Kambas National Park team.
 
Mai Thai said:
I wish they could exhibit Sumatran Rhinos again but currently they are only doing in-situ conservation with the Way Kambas National Park team.
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I would assess the situation that given historical developments no Sumatran rhinos will ever come back to US zoos. We can only but live in hope Republik Merdeka Indonesia will be able to save the species with combined overseas assistance and funding.
 
Mai Thai said:
The zoo director told me this back in October of 2020. It has been a while sense than so some plans may have changed.
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It would be nice, once the elephants have been moved, if they turned it back into another version of Vanishing Giants, considering how short lived the exhibit was.
 
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