Genuinely terrible news
However I can’t say I’m terribly surprised, from pictures I’ve seen of him over the past few months, he was very much starting to suddenly look “old” compared photos even from the start of the year.
Luka was a special animal for a number of reasons. Not only was he a rather impressive looking bull overall, large and tall with long, thick tusks, and a generally sociable nature; he was also European conceived and born AND contributed to the population at a time when very few animals were, one of the true great captive bred “founders”, along with Chang, Irma, Ramon, and Alexander. On top of this, he reached a very respectable age for any zoo housed bull, which is all the more impressive considering the time he was born, the first 20-30 years of his life likely afforded him little in the way of -advantages to living such a long life.
The only sad thing, unlike his peers Irma, Ramon, Chang, and Alex, as mentioned, Luka has a fairly limited surviving legacy. While his genetics are secure in his adult breeding daughters May Tagu and her young daughter Suki at Plankendael and Vishesh and bull calf Chandru at Ostrava, he also has his young son Yaro with genetically valuable cow Donna.
One can only hope that Yaro will continue to grow and thrive while avoiding the ever present risk of herpes until he reaches his mid teens, and one day has the chance to become a stunning bull like his father. It’s a stretch, but one can only hope there was a chance that perhaps Luka managed to impregnate Sita and Donna one last time before his passing and he will still manage to produce one or two past calves after his passing, much like the late, great Radza.
Rest In Peace big guy, you were a wonderful bull who lived a long and colourful life, and despite all the odds, came out of it doing pretty darn good for yourself.
