North American African Elephant Population 2023

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nczoofan said:
Can you list them out? I haven’t been following along closely.
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1.) Nadirah at Disneys Animal Kingdom (father is Maclean)

2.) Renee at the Toledo Zoo (father is Titan)

3.) Omma at the Omaha Zoo (father is Callee)

4.) Litsemba at the Reid Park Zoo (father is Mabu)

5.) Nolwazi and Amahle at Fresno Chaffee Zoo (father is Mabu).
 
John Marchwick said:
Baby elephants coming 2024 ✨... - Fresno Chaffee Zoo

Nolwazi and Amahle are pregnant at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo and are due in 2024!
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Wonderful news! :)

Although Mabu is a well represented bull; being a proven bull he was the right choice to pair with these two valuable girls who were in need to conceive ASAP.

My fingers are crossed we get a girl or some girls from this cohort for the succession of the herd long term.
 
Jambo said:
Wonderful news! :)

Although Mabu is a well represented bull; being a proven bull he was the right choice to pair with these two valuable girls who were in need to conceive ASAP.

My fingers are crossed we get a girl or some girls from this cohort for the succession of the herd long term.
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Not to mention Mabu is a wonderful father, even though male elephants don't have any role in raising the young.
 
Omaha's latest calf's name is Amandra!

Omaha's Zoo & Aquarium on Instagram: "Our almost three-week-old African elephant calf’s name is: Amandra. Pronounced “ah-MON-dra,” the name was chosen by a Zoo donor and their family and means “strong woman.” Jayei, the calf’s mother and the matriarch of the herd, was the inspiration behind Amandra. Since her arrival with daughter Omma in 2016, Jayei—whose name means “a woman strong like an elephant”—has been a proven leader and experienced mother. She has guided the other adult females of the herd on their journeys as mothers and has helped watch over their calves. Amandra currently weighs 290 pounds, a 10-pound gain from her first documented weight, and continues to explore her habitat. “She is interacting with her siblings and in this heat, has joined the others in the mud wallow,” said Sarah Armstong, the Zoo’s elephant manager. Check the comments for the winners of our drawing!"
 
StoppableSan said:
Omaha's latest calf's name is Amandra!

Omaha's Zoo & Aquarium on Instagram: "Our almost three-week-old African elephant calf’s name is: Amandra. Pronounced “ah-MON-dra,” the name was chosen by a Zoo donor and their family and means “strong woman.” Jayei, the calf’s mother and the matriarch of the herd, was the inspiration behind Amandra. Since her arrival with daughter Omma in 2016, Jayei—whose name means “a woman strong like an elephant”—has been a proven leader and experienced mother. She has guided the other adult females of the herd on their journeys as mothers and has helped watch over their calves. Amandra currently weighs 290 pounds, a 10-pound gain from her first documented weight, and continues to explore her habitat. “She is interacting with her siblings and in this heat, has joined the others in the mud wallow,” said Sarah Armstong, the Zoo’s elephant manager. Check the comments for the winners of our drawing!"
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Very unique name! I love the connection to Jayei's name as well. Hopefully this little one will be able to contribute to the breeding program herself down the line.:)
 
Mr.Ivory said:
Hopefully one of many calves for Zahara, hopefully Indianapolis is willing to breed her at natural birthing intervals of every 3-5 years but since this was an AI birth I doubt it
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At least she finally does have a calf. I know zoo staff said they’ve been trying to naturally breed her with Kedar but so far no luck.
 
Mr.Ivory said:
Hopefully one of many calves for Zahara, hopefully Indianapolis is willing to breed her at natural birthing intervals of every 3-5 years but since this was an AI birth I doubt it
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Very feasible to do so; its just a highly costly procedure.

I'm hopeful she'll be able to mate naturally for her next calf though. This calf gives her time to keep trying with Kedar, but if that dosen't pan out they could easily swap him out for another bull. I doubt they will rely on AI for the continuation of her breeding span.
 
Jambo said:
Very feasible to do so; its just a highly costly procedure.

I'm hopeful she'll be able to mate naturally for her next calf though. This calf gives her time to keep trying with Kedar, but if that dosen't pan out they could easily swap him out for another bull. I doubt they will rely on AI for the continuation of her breeding span.
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AI is hardly feasible. It's an invasive and labor intensive procedure, only a few specialized teams (based mainly out of Europe) are highly skilled at it, and as you mentioned, it is EXPENSIVE, even for well funded zoos. Plus it's success rates, while getting better, still aren't great.

Of course it's absolutely a valuable tool and has numerous practical uses, but in a case such as Indi's where they currently have to rely *exclusively* on AI, it's kind of a trash solution.

Truthfully, I have my doubts that Kedar will end up breeding successfully anytime soon, especially at Indi. The US has a critical shortage of natural breeding bulls (currently only Mabu, Jackson, Sdudla, Maclean, Callee, and Tendaji) and not many strong contenders at the moment. Ajani, Titan, Kedar, Vusmusi, and Louie are all washes right now. Samson, Tamani, and Jabali are all untested and unproven at the moment, and all younger as well. Oakland doesn't seem to have any interest in attempting to collect from Osh. Tuffi and Bulwagi are flops. Tonka is non-option.

That leaves us Tutume, unproven and stuck in Canada, Junnot, fertile but stuck in Canada as well, and Mabu's horde of sons (plus Jacksons Tsavo).

There's, unfortunately, really not a lot of options, especially since there seems to be very limited interfacility cooperation, especially with some of the more valuable bulls.

Really what the US needs, is a suffusion of proven or likely to be successful bulls from Europe. Junmar, Yambo, brothers Uli/Moyo/Gus, any of the young bulls from Cabarceno, Tusker son Kibo, etc...All these bulls are well proven or VERY likely to be successful breeders once they come of age. A straight forwards swap would be easy enough, send over some Mabu or Jackson/Callee kids if needed. They would do wonders for the US population.

But alas, I'll get off my soapbox now, and just be happy that there is * a calf* born to a first time mom. Hopefully all continues to go well for mother and son, and both thrive far into the future.
 
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