No, the plan is for them to move into holding a bachelor herd of African Elephants.
No, the plan is for them to move into holding a bachelor herd of African Elephants.
Since it has been brought up, it is worth mentioning that none of these facilities will likely hold both taxa in the long term. San Diego is phasing out Asians (see above post), Miami has an uncertain future with both species with no breeding plans, Louisville will pivoting towards Africans assuming they end up continuing with elephants at all, and Topeka will almost certainly be done with elephants completely once their last ones pass.
They did have plans for a breeding herd for Asians in the future, but this was a few years ago, so not sure where this sits at the present time.
Dr Bright N04
Well-Known Member
I don't know if this counts, but a place called Myakka Elephant Ranch in Myakka City Florida has two Asian and one African elephant.
So is the plan that once Dalip & Nellie pass away AZA will get new cows in from elsewhere and form a new breeding group in Miami? I know that Africans Peggy & Mable are post-reproductive and have been without company from a bull (Machito) since 2012.
Undetermined at this time AFAIK.
Myakka Elephant Ranch in Florida holds both, all females. (2) Asian and (1) African Bush.
That was the plan; with Ongard as the breeding bull. Although this was, four years ago when Ongard was first sent there. San Diego owns Ongard, and since he's a valuable bull, I doubt they'd have sent him to Miami unless they were sure he'd be in a breeding situation there.
How and why does San Diego own Ongard if he's on the opposite side of the country in Miami??? I'm really confused!
San Diego owns Ongard; but they're obviously a non breeding facility dedicated to geriatric elephants. Melbourne Zoo (where Ongard was born) have a great connection with SDZ; and SDZ would've helped Melbourne find a destination for Ongard in the US, as there wasn't an eligible facility in Australia.
The plan is for Miami to import some cows once Nellie and Dahlip die.
Hopefully, that won't happen for a while even though they're in their early 50's. They get the absolute best treatment and will hopefully be with us for another decade or two.
I too hope Dahlip and Nellie have long lives ahead of them, but it’d be nice to see Ongard contribute to the North American breeding programme - either through Miami receiving cows in a decade or so; or through AI, as was originally mentioned when Ongard was imported.
Aside from being a founder to the North American breeding programme, Ongard is a first generation offspring to the global population and will be the only offspring of his mother.
São Paulo had both genera at various separate moments. They regained this status in 2011, when two Asian cows arrived at the zoo. However, their African elephant perished three to four years ago. Currently, only four African ellies remain in Brazil and two are siblings.
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Belo Horizonte also used to hold both species, but their Asian female named Margarete died a very long time ago.
Unenlagia90
Well-Known Member
Mt. Shendiao Wildlife Park in Weihai, Guangzhou Zoo, Pairi Daiza
Nile Hippo Expert
Well-Known Member
They actually have three Asian and sixteen African Elephants.
They currently have 1:2 Asian Elephants. One bull (Ramos, forty-nine) who lives separately from the two cows (Honney Ball and India, who are sixty-two and fifty-three years old respectively). All of their Asian Elephants were wild-born.
They also keep 7:9 African Elephants, nine (3:6) of whom are between fifteen and twenty-one years old, and were wild-born. They have produced 4:3 calves, none of which are older than five at this moment, and all are still living there. They are one big giant herd and are not exhibited with the Asian Elephants.
In Spain, the Madrid and Barcelona zoos had Asian and African elephants in the past. In fact, in both zoos there were also forestelephants. Currently, the Barcelona Zoo only amiantinasfrican females and the Madrid Zoo amiantinaseding group of Asian elephants, the Sumatran group that comes from Tierpark Berlin.
In the past, the Valencia Zoo (currently closed and replaced by the Bioparc) also kept an African elephant and an Asian elephant, but both died son.
In the past, the Valencia Zoo (currently closed and replaced by the Bioparc) also kept an African elephant and an Asian elephant, but both died son.
It turns out Rio de Janeiro has also held both genera of elephant at the same time. In 1995, Nelly, the only elephant in Brasília, perished of complications caused by her old age. So, in the same year, our national capital's zoo decided to bring a pair from South Africa. Babu and Belinha, the ellies imported from Nelson Mandela's place of birth, had reside in Rio for a month before going to their new home. Koala, Rio's Asian ellie, was their neighbour. Babu died of poisoning in 2018 and Belinha is still alive.
Colombo Zoo in Sri Lanka housed both when I was last there in 2018