Australasian Asian Elephant Population 2022

[Swanson02]

Social Dynamics in the Melbourne Herd

With Dokkoon’s new calf being introduced to the other cows in the herd, it’ll be interesting to see the dynamics of the herd change with two more calves arriving in the next two months. Mali, who is attentive to the new calf now, will soon be preoccupied with her own calf; and similarly, Dokkoon will be limited in the support she can provide to Mali.
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In the unlikely chance, Mali rejects her calf would either Dokkoon or Num Oi adopt it? Or would they be too preoccupied with their own to help and the calf will then be raised by keepers? On that how often do elephants reject calves? At a much lower rate than great apes I assume?

 

[Zoofan15]

In the unlikely chance, Mali rejects her calf would either Dokkoon or Num Oi adopt it? Or would they be too preoccupied with their own to help and the calf will then be raised by keepers? On that how often do elephants reject calves? At a much lower rate than great apes I assume?

It is indeed uncommon for elephants to reject their newborns compared to great apes - with the most common causes being either an unsurvivable congenital birth defect or (in captivity) the mother being inexperienced and unsupported - and therefore reacting in fear/ignorance under a time of stress. The latter example was observed at the reproductively successful herd at Chester Zoo, where Thi Hi Way killed her first calf and rejected/attempted to kill her second.

Melbourne Zoo have a 40 page husbandry plan in place for the three births to include every possibility - including calves being rejected by their mother. In this case, the priority would be for the calf to receive colostrum from the mother, so the staff would attempt to milk Mali (via protected contact) and bottle feed this to the calf. All the pregnant mothers would have been conditioned to participate in this.

I’d expect the cows (especially Dokkoon) to show a strong interest in the calf - which alone should foster the bond between Mali and her calf. Dokkoon and Num Oi would both likely allow the calf to suckle (irregardless of whether Mali did re. alloparenting). Ideally this should sustain the calf nutritionally - in this case, it’d be three calves fed by two cows; which is preferable to two calves fed by one cow.

In any case, the keepers would be monitoring the weight of the calf and prepared to offer supplementary feeding. This was done with Num Oi’s last calf, with the calf fed a combination of Num Oi’s milk (collected via protected contact) and Asian elephant calf formula mixed together.

 

[Zorro]

It is indeed uncommon for elephants to reject their newborns compared to great apes - with the most common causes being either an unsurvivable congenital birth defect or (in captivity) the mother being inexperienced and unsupported - and therefore reacting in fear/ignorance under a time of stress. The latter example was observed at the reproductively successful herd at Chester Zoo, where Thi Hi Way killed her first calf and rejected/attempted to kill her second.

Melbourne Zoo have a 40 page husbandry plan in place for the three births to include every possibility - including calves being rejected by their mother. In this case, the priority would be for the calf to receive colostrum from the mother, so the staff would attempt to milk Mali (via protected contact) and bottle feed this to the calf. All the pregnant mothers would have been conditioned to participate in this.

I’d expect the cows (especially Dokkoon) to show a strong interest in the calf - which alone should foster the bond between Mali and her calf. Dokkoon and Num Oi would both likely allow the calf to suckle (irregardless of whether Mali did re. alloparenting). Ideally this should sustain the calf nutritionally - in this case, it’d be three calves fed by two cows; which is preferable to two calves fed by one cow.

In any case, the keepers would be monitoring the weight of the calf and prepared to offer supplementary feeding. This was done with Num Oi’s last calf, with the calf fed a combination of Num Oi’s milk (collected via protected contact) and Asian elephant calf formula mixed together.

I believe that the Melbourne elephant team have taken their elephant husbandry to another level as compared to what has been in the region before, because of this the results are now showing. After the move to Werribee I expect with the extra room and the managing options will result in an even smoother flow to elephant management and breeding.
Added is the hands off managing them resulting in the herd reacting much more between themselves which is for them a big plus. I hope once Taronga has all it herd in one place it can build itself on the model at Melbourne. I am not sure as to why Taronga are leaving big gaps between their calfs but its not building its herd as far as I can see which might not be beneficial in the long run!

 

[Zoofan15]

I believe that the Melbourne elephant team have taken their elephant husbandry to another level as compared to what has been in the region before, because of this the results are now showing. After the move to Werribee I expect with the extra room and the managing options will result in an even smoother flow to elephant management and breeding.
Added is the hands off managing them resulting in the herd reacting much more between themselves which is for them a big plus. I hope once Taronga has all it herd in one place it can build itself on the model at Melbourne. I am not sure as to why Taronga are leaving big gaps between their calfs but its not building its herd as far as I can see which might not be beneficial in the long run!

Melbourne Zoo are a unique position of having three calves due within a two month period. This has come about through planning, luck and the advent of having a bull on site capable of natural breeding. After a period of stagnation, it’s great to see them progressing as they are - and it’s clear they intend to continue to do so at Werribee with succession plans in place for the next 100 years (to be updated every 5-10 years).

Taronga Western Plains Zoo are limited on space. Unfortunately this has restricted breeding and of their four surviving calves, only one has been female. This leaves them vulnerable with regards to succession as where the herd stands at this point in time - succession is dependent on the survival of Kanlaya.

Hopefully more female calves follow at Dubbo and they’ve also have Anjalee (who’s only 16 years old) join the herd. The expanded cow/calf facility will assist in allowing them to expand the herd - but not on the scale of Werribee. I doubt we’ll see a detraction from the sizeable birth intervals at Dubbo.

 

[Zorro]

Melbourne Zoo are a unique position of having three calves due within a two month period. This has come about through planning, luck and the advent of having a bull on site capable of natural breeding. After a period of stagnation, it’s great to see them progressing as they are - and it’s clear they intend to continue to do so at Werribee with succession plans in place for the next 100 years (to be updated every 5-10 years).

Taronga Western Plains Zoo are limited on space. Unfortunately this has restricted breeding and of their four surviving calves, only one has been female. This leaves them vulnerable with regards to succession as where the herd stands at this point in time - succession is dependent on the survival of Kanlaya.

Hopefully more female calves follow at Dubbo and they’ve also have Anjalee (who’s only 16 years old) join the herd. The expanded cow/calf facility will assist in allowing them to expand the herd - but not on the scale of Werribee. I doubt we’ll see a detraction from the sizeable birth intervals at Dubbo.

I am surprised Dubbo has limited space considering the size of this zoo?

 

[Zoofan15]

I am surprised Dubbo has limited space considering the size of this zoo?

Agreed. Dubbo is larger than Werribee (300ha versus 225ha), so it’s surprising they haven’t chosen to allocate more space to their elephants. The supporting infrastructure is costly (e.g. barns) but the expansion of the paddock sizes would allow the growth of a larger matriarchal herd.

Their next barn will be capable of holding the entire matriarchal herd indoors for an extended period of time over the colder months, so this will be significantly more expensive to build than the cost of an expanded paddock - but in any case, will allow for succession within the herd and the anticipated return of Pak Boon and Tang Mo to the main herd.

 

[Zorro]

Agreed. Dubbo is larger than Werribee (300ha versus 225ha), so it’s surprising they haven’t chosen to allocate more space to their elephants. The supporting infrastructure is costly (e.g. barns) but the expansion of the paddock sizes would allow the growth of a larger matriarchal herd.

Their next barn will be capable of holding the entire matriarchal herd indoors for an extended period of time over the colder months, so this will be significantly more expensive to build than the cost of an expanded paddock - but in any case, will allow for succession within the herd and the anticipated return of Pak Boon and Tang Mo to the main herd.

Considering the amount of money given to them via government/tax payer, I believe the Platypus rehab complex was 12 million if I recall correctly?, a barn or two is not of of their reach, they spent a lot of money building the bull exhibit at Taronga when it was thought to been needed!

 

[Zoofan15]

Considering the amount of money given to them via government/tax payer, I believe the Platypus rehab complex was 12 million if I recall correctly?, a barn or two is not of of their reach, they spent a lot of money building the bull exhibit at Taronga when it was thought to been needed!

Yes, that’s correct - the Platypus facility will cost $12 million. I suspect being a project pertaining to Australian (native) conservation, this was prioritised in terms of funding though versus the elephants which will primarily benefit the zoo and ex-situ conservation projects.

The renovations prior to the transfer of the 3.2 from Taronga to Dubbo cost $4.3 million and included a new three-stall elephant barn and two new paddocks over 7500 square metres.

 

[Abbey]

One difference I would perceive between Dubbo and Werribee is that Dubbo is (slightly) older and has developed in a different way - Dubbo is more like a conventional zoo on a larger scale, rather than a safari park. Werribee is a mix of both, and the way it has developed has allowed there to be space available to build the large elephant complex.

Dubbo has had elephants for quite a long period of time (going back to the African Elephants originally), and while these facilities have (and continue to) develop, there are more restraints considering the location of other exhibits than what Werribee has. That doesn't mean Dubbo shouldn't or can't expand, but starting off with a bigger complex will place Werribee in a good position.

 

[Zoofan15]

One difference I would perceive between Dubbo and Werribee is that Dubbo is (slightly) older and has developed in a different way - Dubbo is more like a conventional zoo on a larger scale, rather than a safari park. Werribee is a mix of both, and the way it has developed has allowed there to be space available to build the large elephant complex.

Dubbo has had elephants for quite a long period of time (going back to the African Elephants originally), and while these facilities have (and continue to) develop, there are more restraints considering the location of other exhibits than what Werribee has. That doesn't mean Dubbo shouldn't or can't expand, but starting off with a bigger complex will place Werribee in a good position.

That’s very true. Werribee has always been a lesser known zoo that’s largely acted in support of Melbourne Zoo; rather than complimenting it as Dubbo and Monarto do to Taronga and Adelaide. Recent developments, most notably the elephant complex, will greatly boost Werribee’s profile.

Dubbo currently has three barns (with plans to build a fourth). The first barn was built in 1977 for the 1.4 young African elephants; the second barn was built ahead of the arrival of the 1.1 African elephants in 1983; and the third was built in 2014 ahead of the transfer of the Asian elephants from Taronga.

 

[Zorro]

That’s very true. Werribee has always been a lesser known zoo that’s largely acted in support of Melbourne Zoo; rather than complimenting it as Dubbo and Monarto do to Taronga and Adelaide. Recent developments, most notably the elephant complex, will greatly boost Werribee’s profile.

Dubbo currently has three barns (with plans to build a fourth). The first barn was built in 1977 for the 1.4 young African elephants; the second barn was built ahead of the arrival of the 1.1 African elephants in 1983; and the third was built in 2014 ahead of the transfer of the Asian elephants from Taronga.

I was surprised they only had one barn to start with considering they had 1 bull in the group. The house which David and the American bull Congo was in the second barn and seperate yard with a steel gate between the cow yard and bull yard.
I had visited the exhibit just 3 months after opening the display yard still had some small trees growing in there!

 

[Zoofan15]

I was surprised they only had one barn to start with considering they had 1 bull in the group. The house which David and the American bull Congo was in the second barn and seperate yard with a steel gate between the cow yard and bull yard.
I had visited the exhibit just 3 months after opening the display yard still had some small trees growing in there!

The cows were walked daily past Congo in the bull yard and their interest in each other was scored on a chart that was designed to predict ovulation. A high level of mutual interest meant he was allowed in with the cows, but sadly despite a natural mating being observed, no pregnancies resulted.

Congo was a proven breeder, so I’d assume at least two of the three original cows were behavioural non breeders, as they were in their reproductive prime and there’s no apparent reason why they otherwise never conceived.

 

[Zorro]

The cows were walked daily past Congo in the bull yard and their interest in each other was scored on a chart that was designed to predict ovulation. A high level of mutual interest meant he was allowed in with the cows, but sadly despite a natural mating being observed, no pregnancies resulted.

Congo was a proven breeder, so I’d assume at least two of the three original cows were behavioural non breeders, as they were in their reproductive prime and there’s no apparent reason why they otherwise never conceived.

The bulls and cows had some contact through the gate I may have a pic of it some where!

 

[Zoofan15]

Melbourne’s calf makes public debut; voting open on name:

Baby elephant walks out at Melbourne Zoo

Zoos Victoria's 350,000 members will vote on a name for the new calf, with three options as suggested by the Royal Thai Embassy put to them.

Aiyara - meaning elephant - a symbol for loyalty, friendliness, good fortune, and happiness.

Chaiyo - meaning cheers - to celebrate joyful occasions.

Roi-yim - meaning smile, and representing Thailand as the "Land of Smiles".

Votes close for members on Tuesday evening and the winning name will be announced next week.

 

[Zoofan15]

Melbourne’s calf makes public debut; voting open on name:

Baby elephant walks out at Melbourne Zoo

Zoos Victoria's 350,000 members will vote on a name for the new calf, with three options as suggested by the Royal Thai Embassy put to them.

Aiyara - meaning elephant - a symbol for loyalty, friendliness, good fortune, and happiness.

Chaiyo - meaning cheers - to celebrate joyful occasions.

Roi-yim - meaning smile, and representing Thailand as the "Land of Smiles".

Votes close for members on Tuesday evening and the winning name will be announced next week.

I hope Roi-yim wins. It’s a really unique name within the region and is a feminine sounding name that would suit a female elephant throughout her life (i.e. it ages well).

Chaiyo sounds too masculine - it’s too similar to Luk Chai without working as a reference.

Aiyara sounds nice, but the meaning (elephant) isn’t particularly inspired.

 

[Hyak_II]

so I’d assume at least two of the three original cows were behavioural non breeders, as they were in their reproductive prime and there’s no apparent reason why they otherwise never conceived.

There's absolutely no logic in assuming any of the cows were behavioral non breeders. Yes, the bull had proven out in the fairly recent past prior to his import to Dubbo, but he could have lost fertility with age, as Africans sometimes do. The cows could have been conceiving, but losing their pregnancies for whatever reason. They could have had reproductive pathologies that prevented them from conceiving. Or simply just, wrong animals at the wrong facility. This has happened numerous times in Europe with African Elephants. You'll have animals that are known to be fertile, know how to breed, will actively breed with each other, and yet no calves result. However transfer out the animals to different facilities with different social groupings, and BAM, pregnancies a-plenty. It could potentially even have been diet/fitness related. There's simply too many variables to account for, as to why they weren't producing calves, instead of ignorantly assuming "oohh it must have been behavioral" with no other basis to support that theory.

 

[Jambo]

Melbourne’s calf makes public debut; voting open on name:

Baby elephant walks out at Melbourne Zoo

Zoos Victoria's 350,000 members will vote on a name for the new calf, with three options as suggested by the Royal Thai Embassy put to them.

Aiyara - meaning elephant - a symbol for loyalty, friendliness, good fortune, and happiness.

Chaiyo - meaning cheers - to celebrate joyful occasions.

Roi-yim - meaning smile, and representing Thailand as the "Land of Smiles".

Votes close for members on Tuesday evening and the winning name will be announced next week.

Aiyara's the nicest name; although I acknowledge it isn't quite an inspired name as @Zoofan15 mentioned, it's still a pretty decent name, and would be fairly easy for the public to remember.

 

[Swanson02]

I hope Roi-yim wins. It’s a really unique name within the region and is a feminine sounding name that would suit a female elephant throughout her life (i.e. it ages well).

Chaiyo sounds too masculine - it’s too similar to Luk Chai without working as a reference.

Aiyara sounds nice, but the meaning (elephant) isn’t particularly inspired.

Tbh not the Greatest name choices imo. I guess Melbourne Zoo have to spread out its best options over three calves .

They are all fairly simple without any deeper meanings connecting to her background. Roi-yim is good but would sound better for Num Oi's calf due to both sounding similar, people might get confused that Roi-yim is not Num Oi's calf. Chaiyo does sound a little masculine but does rhyme with her father's name which is something of a connection at least. Aiyara is a bit bland but does not clash with any of the other herd members, it also seems like it would be the most popular with the public.

Personally, Aiyara is a solid (yet a little uninspired) name. Hopefully they can save Roi-yim for Num Oi's calf (if it is female).

 

[Zoofan15]

Tbh not the Greatest name choices imo. I guess Melbourne Zoo have to spread out its best options over three calves .

They are all fairly simple without any deeper meanings connecting to her background. Roi-yim is good but would sound better for Num Oi's calf due to both sounding similar, people might get confused that Roi-yim is not Num Oi's calf. Chaiyo does sound a little masculine but does rhyme with her father's name which is something of a connection at least. Aiyara is a bit bland but does not clash with any of the other herd members, it also seems like it would be the most popular with the public.

Personally, Aiyara is a solid (yet a little uninspired) name. Hopefully they can save Roi-yim for Num Oi's calf (if it is female).

I agree it’s a shame the names don’t have a greater connection to Melbourne’s herd. My preferences re. meanings would be:

A name meaning journey for Dokkoon’s calf. Dokkoon first made the journey to Australia; and now her and her calf will transfer with the herd to Werribee.

A name reflecting Mali’s calf is a second generation calf - with her parents being the first male and female calves of their species born in Australasia.

A botanical name for Num Oi’s calf. Num Oi’s name means sugar cane and her deceased daughter’s house name was Willow.

I believe Aiyara will have the most commercial appeal. The general public won’t give any consideration towards meanings.

 

[Jambo]

They are all fairly simple without any deeper meanings connecting to her background. Roi-yim is good but would sound better for Num Oi's calf due to both sounding similar, people might get confused that Roi-yim is not Num Oi's calf.

As a frequent visitor of Melbourne even I too was thinking the same thing!

Aiyara has the most public appeal, so should go on to win; Roi Yim and Chaiyu won't even come close imo.