Man, I really doubt the Safari Park have no intentions to import a bull. Zuli is related to all of the younger cows, and if a new bull isn't imported breeding cannot happen... may I ask where you got this info from?
North American African Elephant Population
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Man, I really doubt the Safari Park have no intentions to import a bull. Zuli is related to all of the younger cows, and if a new bull isn't imported breeding cannot happen... may I ask where you got this info from?
I doubt it was a keeper, they usually have docents/volunteers by the viewing area to answer questions. I asked one of them about this quite a while ago and was told the docents/volunteers are the last to hear about these things and that they didn’t know anything about it. I’m fairly certain the park does indeed have plans to import a new bull within the next few years. Their herd is practically doomed if they don’t, so they better!
Most of the time volunteers are those who are given the task of answering questions to zoo visitors. Unfortunately they have gotten a lot of things wrong in the past (definitely in my experience!), and this may have been the case here.
I heard way back in 2019 the park was taking a break from breeding their elephants but they do want to breed African Elephants in the future when their new exhibit opens. When I reached out to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park a couple times on Instagram they said the same thing to me, that a new bull will be brought for their new elephant valley exhibit. I wish they were breeding them now however.
there is no way the breeding bull will be Zuli at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. First off he’s related to most of the females there (his mother and then half sisters), secondly, I highly doubt you heard that from a keeper. You most likely heard it from a docent or a volunteer.
The problem with volunteers is that they’re the last on the chain of information before it reaches the public. Decisions made by management are communicated to the team leaders, who relay it to the keepers. The keepers usually being briefed only on what affects them directly. Anything the volunteers hear is usually through passing conversations with keepers and may be long out of date by the time they disclose it to the public.
On my last zoo visit, I ended up telling the volunteers several things they hadn’t heard about - most of which had been researched months ago by skilled and curious ZooChatters.
I would not consider a volunteer to be in the know about breeding program decisions in their zoo. I assume it is planned to get an unrelated new bull.
There is absolutely no way the Safari Park aren't planning to import a new bull. Msholo, their last bull, was only transferred due to the fact he hadn't breed in the decade he was there. There has most likely already been a recommendation by the AZA, but it appears they are waiting for the completion of the Elephant Valley complex before they import another male.
I do know the Safari Park does intend to breed African Elephants again when Elephant Valley opens. However what I’m worried about is when IS elephant valley going to open. I heard they’re breaking ground next year in 2023 possibly but that was a rumor I heard on zoochat.
Polar bear fan
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Hopefully they’ll get him in before hand, so that a calf could arrive around opening. Three of the females are already in their early thirties. Does anyone know if they’re attempted AI? Mabu, Osh, Vus Musi, and the San Diego Zoo boys, I and a couple of other bulls are in close enough proximity that fresh sperm could be brought in for at least one or two females.
They've already started construction I believe. The elephants don't have access to the upper paddock at the moment.
those 3 females actually have already bred in the past. Swazi, Umngani and Ndula all have had calves in the past. Umngani has had 4 calves, Ndula has had 3 calves and then Swazi has had 2 calves. Aside from Ndulas oldest son, all of the parks calves were sired by Mabu.
I'm not aware of them attempting AI, nor even training their cows to do so in the past. There's just been no need too.
Bulls are actually recommended to be transferred after every decade or so though to help diversify the genetics, so there's pretty much no need for it.
Polar bear fan
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Yes, but I believe the oldest female to reproduce in North America successfully is still Kubwa when she was 35 years old at Indianapolis. That doesn’t leave much room for these founders. Plus I believe Swazi’s last calf was a decade ago. They need to start this program up again, whether they have a bull or not.
Polar bear fan
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If only those recommendations were followed…
that’s true about Swazi. That’s one of the reasons why I had hoped the Safari would would’ve brought in a new bull now to breeding with the parks girls. Another wondering though if the reason they’ve been holding out in getting a new bull for so long could be due to EEHV. Some of the parks calves are still susceptible to the virus and given the rise of cases in EEHV in recent years in African Elephants across the US the park could be holding out for that reason to wait for their 2 youngest calves to be a bit older.
Once the Safari Park start breeding again, it'll likely be from their three middle aged calves (Kosi, Phakamile and Qinisa). Their three older females could theoretically breed once again, Swazi probably will.
And when Kaia’s older she could breed too with the new bull.
Qinisa (2012) was her last calf. The longest gap between calves at least as far as I can remember was 14 years in captivity. Swazi's bordering on it.
They’re not gonna keep Zuli at the Safari park forever. However the goal in general is so future generations can see African Elephants in zoos for generations to come. And Kaia I guarantee you the park will be breed as well with this new bull wherever he comes from. The AZA will breed Vui Musi because his father is not Mabu unlike the other parks calves. Emanti I don’t see the AZA mating cause he has a older sister already.
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