Australasian Asian Elephant Population 2022

[Swanson02]

While some parts of Africa are way over stocked with elephants why is there's a need to ship captive bred elephants out of an English zoo to put them into the wild when there are numbers going begging to be relocated to somewhere?

If Damian Aspinall is so deadset on conservation then he should send them to somewhere where elephants are extinct or in dire straights like Somalia, South Sudan, or Senegal. He won't though as that would require him to invest millions of dollars to protect them from habitat destruction and Poaching. Instead, he'll put them in semi-captivity in Kenya a country where elephant numbers are currently rising. He doesn't really care about elephant conservation (if he does he is super uneducated on it and should leave it to others), to me, it is just a bunch of virtue signaling and ego-boosting, i.e "Look how good I am for returning elephants to the wild, wow aren't I just the best" .

 

[Zorro]

If Damian Aspinall is so deadset on conservation then he should send them to somewhere where elephants are extinct or in dire straights like Somalia, South Sudan, or Senegal. He won't though as that would require him to invest millions of dollars to protect them from habitat destruction and Poaching. Instead, he'll put them in semi-captivity in Kenya a country where elephant numbers are currently rising. He doesn't really care about elephant conservation (if he does he is super uneducated on it and should leave it to others), to me, it is just a bunch of virtue signaling and ego-boosting, i.e "Look how good I am for returning elephants to the wild, wow aren't I just the best" .

I would say there are very likely some UK zoos with the room that would be more than willing to take them when they are not needed back in the wild, with the current over population in some African counties which are likely to start culling numbers.

 

[Zoofan15]

I watched this great mini-documentary yesterday on the major environmental issues within Kruger National Park caused by elephant overpopulation.

The video and previous elephant surveys predict there are currently somewhere between 34,000-44,000 elephants in the extended Kruger area. The video also estimated that Kruger only had a carrying capacity of 3000-4000 elephants and hence was on the brink of environmental collapse. You just have to watch the documentary to observe the ringbarked, stunted, and felled trees all caused by Kruger's excess of elephants.

Obviously, this whole scenario has created a major dilemma for South Africa National Parks. Transporting 30,000+ elephants could literally cost a billion dollars and where do you locate them? Most countries elsewhere in Africa that have endangered elephant populations don't have the infrastructure to defend their own let alone more elephants from poaching and habitat destruction. The alternative of culling 30,000+ elephants would be disastrous PR-wise for Kruger and would also greatly undermine elephant conservation in places where they are in decline. Poachers could see it as a form of validation.

Personally, I agree with a combination of the two, i.e. transporting as many animals as possible to locations where they would thrive and unfortunately culling the rest. Anyway while watching this documentary I couldn't help but think of Monarto. I know myself and many others would prefer they hold a bachelor or a small breeding group of more endangered Asian elephants but if the situation presented itself I could see Monarto importing a large family group (a topic a keeper insisted on last time I visited) of African elephants instead.

Obviously historically we have seen many zoos in the US, Europe, and now the Middle East and China import whole herds of African elephants that were designated to be culled so why not Australia? I have a sneaking suspicion that Monarto is hoping that this might happen (in a good way). Why else would Monarto name its four feature areas in the upcoming Wild Africa precinct - Etosha, Amboseli, Chobe, and Samburu? Search any one of those parks into google images and the majority of results will feature elephants. That's like having a Yellowstone area without Bison or Kakadu themed area without crocodiles!

In the inevitable event of a Kruger mass-culling, I assume South Africa National Parks would be very eager to help any accredited international zoos receive as many elephants as they would like for nothing or at a very low price. For SANParks, it would be a way to save some face in an action that will draw a lot of criticism.

This was really eye-opening. I’m staggered how overpopulated Kruger has become with elephants and struggle to see how such a large excess could be addressed. The cost to transferring them to other national parks would be prohibitive (they’re wild animals who won’t go quietly) and to avoid the alternative of culling all of them, they’d surely be grateful of the cooperation of any accredited zoo in receiving some of them. There would be global interest - especially considering the struggling captive breeding programmes.

It’s not hard to imagine Monarto having an interest in this species. Obtaining Asian elephant cows will be problematic within the region for the next 2-3 decades and the pressure will be on to hold bulls. They may prefer to import a breeding herd of African elephants, which would be more enabling - and captivate the general public via the narrative of saving them. Fundraising efforts would be widely engaged with.

I think taking in a multigenerational matriarchal herd (heavy on females would be the way

 

[Zorro]

This was really eye-opening. I’m staggered how overpopulated Kruger has become with elephants and struggle to see how such a large excess could be addressed. The cost to transferring them to other national parks would be prohibitive (they’re wild animals who won’t go quietly) and to avoid the alternative of culling all of them, they’d surely be grateful of the cooperation of any accredited zoo in receiving some of them. There would be global interest - especially considering the struggling captive breeding programmes.

It’s not hard to imagine Monarto having an interest in this species. Obtaining Asian elephant cows will be problematic within the region for the next 2-3 decades and the pressure will be on to hold bulls. They may prefer to import a breeding herd of African elephants, which would be more enabling - and captivate the general public via the narrative of saving them. Fundraising efforts would be widely engaged with.

I think taking in a multigenerational matriarchal herd (heavy on females would be the way

I believe the original plan was to import 6 females no bulls!

 

[Zoofan15]

In the inevitable event of a Kruger mass-culling, I assume South Africa National Parks would be very eager to help any accredited international zoos receive as many elephants as they would like for nothing or at a very low price. For SANParks, it would be a way to save some face in an action that will draw a lot of criticism. Theoretically, I would like Monarto to import a large family group of 10-15 cows and calves and 2-3 founding bulls to extend the herd's longevity without imports. Monarto could be the region's only holder and could import/export a couple of bulls from the US or Europe every few decades when they need to either offload some excess animals or freshen up their genetic stocks.

If Monarto were to import African elephants from Kruger, I’d imagine the best course of action would be to import a multigenerational herd that was heavy on female juveniles and calves. For example:

One mother
Three daughters
Four grandaughters
Two great granddaughters

This would ensure:

A - The herd had succession via calves and juveniles versus several prime aged cows that would all be post reproductive two decades from now.

B - Proven breeders were acquired that had previously given birth to calves and were likely cycling.

In addition to this herd, I agree three or so unrelated bulls should be imported to create a sustainable herd for the next half a century.

 

[Zoofan15]

While some parts of Africa are way over stocked with elephants why is there's a need to ship captive bred elephants out of an English zoo to put them into the wild when there are numbers going begging to be relocated to somewhere?

If Damian Aspinall is so deadset on conservation then he should send them to somewhere where elephants are extinct or in dire straights like Somalia, South Sudan, or Senegal. He won't though as that would require him to invest millions of dollars to protect them from habitat destruction and Poaching. Instead, he'll put them in semi-captivity in Kenya a country where elephant numbers are currently rising. He doesn't really care about elephant conservation (if he does he is super uneducated on it and should leave it to others), to me, it is just a bunch of virtue signaling and ego-boosting, i.e "Look how good I am for returning elephants to the wild, wow aren't I just the best" .

His plans to release captive elephants is so idealistic and ill-conceived. This is a species that relies on the knowledge, expertise and guidance of their matriarch, which she’s gained through decades of living in the wild. The released elephants will have no concept of how to deal with half the situations they’ll find themselves in.

For context, Jamuna (Auckland Zoo’s first elephant) took fright upon seeing a giraffe for the first time when one was imported in 1960. These may well be African elephants (as opposed to Asian), but growing up in a zoo exhibit won’t make them any more familiar with the multitude of species they’ll encounter in the wild.

 

[Yassa]

I do you not really believe that Kruger has too many elephants. The fact that there are so many and that they are still thriving proves that they all find enough food and that in no way the ecosystem is ‚above capacity‘. The concept of a fixed number of ‚carrying capacity‘ is a human one, not one of nature.

Elephants have always destroyed trees and always will. Thats their job in the ecosystem, keeping the savanna open. The thing in Kruger is that elephants were almost extinct 150 years ago and when the population slowly rebounded, they were culled to keep the population down. So for a very long time, there were very few elephants, and so the trees could grow. Now the elephants bring the number of trees down to what is natural for an african savanna, that is not a problem exept for the people who got used to all their these trees in a place where they dont belong.

 

[Zoofan15]

I do you not really believe that Kruger has too many elephants. The fact that there are so many and that they are still thriving proves that they all find enough food and that in no way the ecosystem is ‚above capacity‘. The concept of a fixed number of ‚carrying capacity‘ is a human one, not one of nature.

Elephants have always destroyed trees and always will. Thats their job in the ecosystem, keeping the savanna open. The thing in Kruger is that elephants were almost extinct 150 years ago and when the population slowly rebounded, they were culled to keep the population down. So for a very long time, there were very few elephants, and so the trees could grow. Now the elephants bring the number of trees down to what is natural for an african savanna, that is not a problem exept for the people who got used to all their these trees in a place where they dont belong.

The overpopulation is well documented across a multitude of sources. Ceasing to cull them in 1994 has caused the population to grow exponentially and while alternatives have been explored, these have led to other issues. Placing the cows on contraception has caused them to refuse the advances of the bulls, leading to frustration and aggression.

A population of 7000 elephants was maintained between 1967-1994 (mostly via culling) and even then, there was a loss of 88.5% of trees - one of many indications the carrying capacity was below 7000 elephants.

Species like the Great ground hornbill have decreased in numbers as well as a loss of tree-dwelling animals, such as lizards, reptiles, small bird of prey and an overall loss of biodiversity.

 

[Zorro]

I do you not really believe that Kruger has too many elephants. The fact that there are so many and that they are still thriving proves that they all find enough food and that in no way the ecosystem is ‚above capacity‘. The concept of a fixed number of ‚carrying capacity‘ is a human one, not one of nature.

Elephants have always destroyed trees and always will. Thats their job in the ecosystem, keeping the savanna open. The thing in Kruger is that elephants were almost extinct 150 years ago and when the population slowly rebounded, they were culled to keep the population down. So for a very long time, there were very few elephants, and so the trees could grow. Now the elephants bring the number of trees down to what is natural for an african savanna, that is not a problem exept for the people who got used to all their these trees in a place where they dont belong.

When any population is fenced there going to cause a problem at some stage, the days of the endless range is no more.

 

[Zoofan15]

When any population is fenced there going to cause a problem at some stage, the days of the endless range is no more.

There’s inevitably going to be pressure on the eco-system which in turn leads to a decrease in biodiversity considering the impact is felt on a larger scale due to the sheer size of elephants.

In turn, human conflict becomes an issue as the elephants are forced to search elsewhere for food and encroach on crops etc. It becomes a dangerous system for all involved.

 

[Swanson02]

I do you not really believe that Kruger has too many elephants. The fact that there are so many and that they are still thriving proves that they all find enough food and that in no way the ecosystem is ‚above capacity‘. The concept of a fixed number of ‚carrying capacity‘ is a human one, not one of nature.

Elephants have always destroyed trees and always will. Thats their job in the ecosystem, keeping the savanna open. The thing in Kruger is that elephants were almost extinct 150 years ago and when the population slowly rebounded, they were culled to keep the population down. So for a very long time, there were very few elephants, and so the trees could grow. Now the elephants bring the number of trees down to what is natural for an african savanna, that is not a problem exept for the people who got used to all their these trees in a place where they dont belong.

I agree and disagree, I agree that elephants are ecosystem engineers and that 150 years ago the Kruger landscape was artificially heavily forested due to a lack of elephants. However, pre-European settlement, the area that is now Kruger would have had nowhere near the number of elephants it does today. Back then if the elephant population ever got too high excess animals would have just dispersed into the surrounding regions. They can't do that today as the entire park is surrounded by a 7-foot electrified border fence, hence the park is now a self-contained ecosystem, i.e. very rarely does something come in or go out.

Furthermore, elephants are unique in they are not regularly predated on by any animal in Kruger today. We never hear of a 'kudu cull' as their numbers are naturally checked by that of predation from lions etc. Lions likewise will experience increases and decreases in their population directly proportional to the quantity of prey in their environment. Elephants' only natural predator within the Kruger region for the last 100,000+ years are native humans and for the last 150 years (bar a few misinformed culls, poaching, and paid hunts) the factor of human predation on elephants has been removed.

Watch the end of the doco as well, elephants are being recorded destroying 1000-year-old baobabs. When elephant numbers were stable in the past they weren't resorting to this (evident by the trees still being alive today), thus numbers currently must be too high.

I believe the original plan was to import 6 females no bulls!

Monarto has had a few plans to hold elephants if I'm correct, initially in the 90's, they held Samorn and the plan was for her to be joined by Melbourne and Taronga's older Asian elephants in what is now Monarto's Black Rhino exhibit. That plan fell through.

Then in the 2000s they were planning on taking TWPZ's 3 African cows and Mila from NZ. Those plans never eventuated.

Then as you mention Monarto wanted to import 6 cows from South Africa with no bulls. Which I think would have been a rather poor decision.

I just think something is fishy with them naming the Wild Africa areas, Etosha, Chobe, Amboseli, and Samburu without elephants. It's like not having a cake at a birthday party.

 

[Zoofan15]

Monarto has had a few plans to hold elephants if I'm correct, initially in the 90's, they held Samorn and the plan was for her to be joined by Melbourne and Taronga's older Asian elephants in what is now Monarto's Black Rhino exhibit. That plan fell through.

Then in the 2000s they were planning on taking TWPZ's 3 African cows and Mila from NZ. Those plans never eventuated.

Then as you mention Monarto wanted to import 6 cows from South Africa with no bulls. Which I think would have been a rather poor decision.

I just think something is fishy with them naming the Wild Africa areas, Etosha, Chobe, Amboseli, and Samburu without elephants. It's like not having a cake at a birthday party.

I’ve long believed African elephants would be an excellent fit for Monarto, but until now assumed the challenges in acquiring them would make it prohibitive. Even acquiring the retirement aged cows from Dubbo and New Zealand would have only been a short term solution.

This represents the first realistic chance of founding a sustainable herd and if it helps alleviate the pressure on their natural ecosystem (and avoids culling some of them), that’s a win-win for many.

I say many (not all), because the region could really benefit from having a bachelor facility for Asian elephant and Monarto has been long speculated to be it.

 

[Jambo]

Monarto has had a few plans to hold elephants if I'm correct, initially in the 90's, they held Samorn and the plan was for her to be joined by Melbourne and Taronga's older Asian elephants in what is now Monarto's Black Rhino exhibit. That plan fell through.

Yes, that was due to a change in management at both Taronga and Melbourne. I'm honestly glad that happened, otherwise we might not have the successful regional population that we do today.

Then in the 2000s they were planning on taking TWPZ's 3 African cows and Mila from NZ. Those plans never eventuated.

I've never heard that, though it sounds about right. Dubbo were planning on focusing on Asians (with Heman and Burma moving over from Taronga).

Then as you mention Monarto wanted to import 6 cows from South Africa with no bulls. Which I think would have been a rather poor decision.

They still had that on the back burner as recent as five or so years ago. I don't what the point in that was though; a breeding herd would've been preferable. All they needed was two bulls, and they could've had a sustainable population for a quarter of a century (of course without any unexpected deaths).

 

[Swanson02]

They still had that on the back burner as recent as five or so years ago. I don't what the point in that was though; a breeding herd would've been preferable. All they needed was two bulls, and they could've had a sustainable population for a quarter of a century (of course without any unexpected deaths).

It may sound weird but Monarto as @Zoofan15 said might find it easier just to import a African herd designated for culling than form an Asian herd from cows and bulls here in Australia.
Chimelong Qingyuan Safari Park in China imported a whopping 24 elephants in a joint import with zoos across China in 2015-16 from the overpopulated Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe. Zoos in the US have been doing it for years with overpopulation in Hlane National Park (only 100 km south of Kruger). Obviously zoo imports don't make a dent when the overpopulation is in the tens of thousands but at least it shows an effort was made.

 

[Zoofan15]

It may sound weird but Monarto as @Zoofan15 said might find it easier just to import a African herd designated for culling than form an Asian herd from cows and bulls here in Australia.
Chimelong Qingyuan Safari Park in China imported a whopping 24 elephants in a joint import with zoos across China in 2015-16 from the overpopulated Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe. Zoos in the US have been doing it for years with overpopulation in Hlane National Park (only 100 km south of Kruger). Obviously zoo imports don't make a dent when the overpopulation is in the tens of thousands but at least it shows an effort was made.

It will be decades before Asian elephant cows are available within Australia. The most realistic chance of achieving this is via a split off herd from Werribee’s herd once there’s sufficient numbers. This would also be dependent on the birth of a succession of females and survival to reproductive age.

If Dokoon had another daughter, then potentially this female and her descendants could be transferred out; with Dokoon supported by Mali and any of their future female offspring at Werribee for example. Such splits are common in the wild when a herd grows too large.

 

[Swanson02]

It will be decades before Asian elephant cows are available within Australia. The most realistic chance of achieving this is via a split off herd from Werribee’s herd once there’s sufficient numbers. This would also be dependent on the birth of a succession of females and survival to reproductive age.

If Dokoon had another daughter, then potentially this female and her descendants could be transferred out; with Dokoon supported by Mali and any of their future female offspring at Werribee for example. Such splits are common in the wild when a herd grows too large.

Unfortunately, there is no major overpopulation anywhere in Asia that could provide Monarto with a fully formed herd. Luckily Asian elephants are easier to integrate into new family groups. If Thong Dee and Porntip were African Anjalee might not have been as easily accepted.

Monarto could theoretically have the largest elephant exhibit in the world outside of Africa. They also may see importing a large family group with calves as a quicker fix to only importing a couple of cows from Werribee and possibly waiting decades for them to 'fill up' a presumably enormous exhibit. African elephants will also give them a point of difference from Werribee and TWPZ who will both have very nice elephant exhibits.

 

[tigris115]

It may sound weird but Monarto as @Zoofan15 said might find it easier just to import a African herd designated for culling than form an Asian herd from cows and bulls here in Australia.
Chimelong Qingyuan Safari Park in China imported a whopping 24 elephants in a joint import with zoos across China in 2015-16 from the overpopulated Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe. Zoos in the US have been doing it for years with overpopulation in Hlane National Park (only 100 km south of Kruger). Obviously zoo imports don't make a dent when the overpopulation is in the tens of thousands but at least it shows an effort was made.

Tbf, Those elephants going to China probably aren't in the best of conditions, unlike the Eswatini elephants

 

[Zoofan15]

Unfortunately, there is no major overpopulation anywhere in Asia that could provide Monarto with a fully formed herd. Luckily Asian elephants are easier to integrate into new family groups. If Thong Dee and Porntip were African Anjalee might not have been as easily accepted.

Monarto could theoretically have the largest elephant exhibit in the world outside of Africa. They also may see importing a large family group with calves as a quicker fix to only importing a couple of cows from Werribee and possibly waiting decades for them to 'fill up' a presumably enormous exhibit. African elephants will also give them a point of difference from Werribee and TWPZ who will both have very nice elephant exhibits.

I agree. Even if Werribee Open Range Zoo was able to supply them with Asian elephants, it’d be at most four or five via a split off herd and this would be decades away. The alternative would be to receive Burma (1982), Permai (1989), Pak Boon (1992) and Tang Mo (1999) in the next few years and acquire a bull - probably Man Jai (2013). Even this would only give them a breeding pair of 1.1 given 3/4 cows are non viable.

African elephants are the way to go for Monarto Zoo imo. In addition to receive a large ready made multigenerational herd, African elephants are more impressive (larger, bigger ears, both adults have tusks) and therefore are more crowd pleasing to the general public.

One of the reasons Asian elephants have gained favour over Africans in zoos worldwide is the females are more amicable than their African counterparts and can be handled via direct contact - something Monarto is unlikely to do (in line with Zoos Victoria and Taronga, who now manage their elephants through protected contact).

 

[Swanson02]

Tbf, Those elephants going to China probably aren't in the best of conditions, unlike the Eswatini elephants

I agree as you can see from this image they imported a lot of young elephants (likely stripped away from their mothers), probably because they were easier to transport. The exhibit doesn't seem atrocious but I definitely do wonder how their barns and veterinary care are.

I know Australian Zoos weren't much better when we imported our Asian elephants in the 2000s but at least the zoos in China had the opportunity to import whole multigenerational herds with ages ranging down from elderly matriarchs to young calves.

 

[tigris115]

I'll admit that I am deeply cynical of China as their animal care record, to put it politely, leave as much to be desired as their record on human rights.

However, I do have some hope that they'll at least try to give these Zimbabwe elephants the best quality of life. Who knows? Maybe China could become a successful African elephant breeder.

As for Kruger, I def think they can supply zoos with spare young cows from their park. However, I'd add a facility to tame elephants down from the wild over the course of a few months so that the culture shock isn't as hard on them, given how brainy elephants are