North American African Elephant Reproduction

[Kifaru Bwana]

Amazing news! DAK is in great shape going forward with their breeding program, by next year they'll have four related, breeding-age cows and three calves on the ground relatively close together.
Personally my fingers are crossed that the sire of Luna's calf is Jabali rather than Tsavo, as comparatively Jabali is the much more valuable animal. I know he exhibited breeding behavior a few years back, but I don't know about Tsavo.

Why the wish for that is a really wishful thinking at this point. Both Jabali (12) and Tsavo (15) are young maturing and bachelor age bulls and way off from a regular sexually and behaviourally mature elephant bull that is territorial and breeding/mating cows (in the wilds these are invariably over 28-35 range ...).

It is high time that zoo managers realise and will go with the more experienced bulls that are fully accepted by all the mature sexually active cows (adult females are hardly going to accept a 12 or 15 year old for their breeding partner, inexperienced, clumsy, behaviorally not fit yet ...) through natural breeding and leave the artificial insemination and unnatural matings out of the equation. It will invariably lead to a more balanced African elephant population and ... by design more naturally proven bulls. Really, both Jabali at 12 and Tsavo at 15 are way too immature.

 

[Frankie_number_1_fan]

Why the wish for that is a really wishful thinking at this point. Both Jabali (12) and Tsavo (15) are young maturing and bachelor age bulls and way off from a regular sexually and behaviourally mature elephant bull that is territorial and breeding/mating cows (in the wilds these are invariably over 28-35 range ...).

It is high time that zoo managers realise and will go with the more experienced bulls that are fully accepted by all the mature sexually active cows (adult females are hardly going to accept a 12 or 15 year old for their breeding partner, inexperienced, clumsy, behaviorally not fit yet ...) through natural breeding and leave the artificial insemination and unnatural matings out of the equation. It will invariably lead to a more balanced African elephant population and ... by design more naturally proven bulls. Really, both Jabali at 12 and Tsavo at 15 are way too immature.

If we only allow older bulls to breed, then we will have a population of animals all related to each other, there are hardly more than a handful of mature bulls in NA's population that are breeders (Sdula, Callee, Mabu, Jackson, Tendaji and Mac)
While we do not have confirmation that Luna wasn't AI'd, at least one of the young bulls at DAK has shown mating behaviors, and Luna is a young enough animal that she shouldn't have issues accepting their advances in comparison to an older cow.
Its long since been re-hashed, but we will not get more proven bulls by not allowing them to figure out how to breed. If they're showing the correct behavior, there's no reason to bring in an older bull just yet. Younger bulls have bred before just fine.

 

[Frankie_number_1_fan]

Recent updates to the reproductive population:

0.1 Litsemba's female calf at the Reid Park Zoo has been named Meru by public vote
(Reid Park Zoo on Instagram: "The African elephant calf born at Tucson’s Reid Park Zoo on March 8 has been named “Meru,” after Tanzania’s “Mount Meru.”)

0.1 Zuberi at the Sedgewick County Zoo is pregnant and due in 2025
(Sedgwick County Zoo announces a fifth pregnant elephant | Wichita By E.B.)

 

[Zoo adventures]

Recent updates to the reproductive population:

0.1 Litsemba's female calf at the Reid Park Zoo has been named Meru by public vote
(Reid Park Zoo on Instagram: "The African elephant calf born at Tucson’s Reid Park Zoo on March 8 has been named “Meru,” after Tanzania’s “Mount Meru.”)

0.1 Zuberi at the Sedgewick County Zoo is pregnant and due in 2025
(Sedgwick County Zoo announces a fifth pregnant elephant | Wichita By E.B.)

I saw that Sedgewick County zoo has 5 elephants pregnant. It is incredible how much there would be babies in the yard.

 

[Frankie_number_1_fan]

Surprise out of Toledo!
3 month old Kirk, initially believed to be male, is actually a female calf! Incredible news for Toledo and their future with elephants.
The calf has been rennamed Kirkja!

(The Toledo Zoo on Instagram: "Baby elephant update!")

 

[Mr.Ivory]

Surprise out of Toledo!
3 month old Kirk, initially believed to be male, is actually a female calf! Incredible news for Toledo and their future with elephants.
The calf has been rennamed Kirkja!

(The Toledo Zoo on Instagram: "Baby elephant update!")

Absolutely amazing news for both Toldeo and the NA African elephant population, and for Renee especially, as despite having a calf this late in age she can finally grow a matriline of her own. Hopefully, Toledo will be willing for Renee to have one more calf most likely by Ajani to show her daughter how to deal with and raise a calf.

 

[Frankie_number_1_fan]

Absolutely amazing news for both Toldeo and the NA African elephant population, and for Renee especially, as despite having a calf this late in age she can finally grow a matriline of her own. Hopefully, Toledo will be willing for Renee to have one more calf most likely by Ajani to show her daughter how to deal with and raise a calf.

Renee is 45 years old and is more than likely can be considered post-reproductive now. It would be amazing for her to have another calf, but with her being nearly 50 I wouldn't expect it. Ajani being, thus far, an unsuccessful breeder doesn't help those chances either. He is planned to be introduced to Renee and Kirkja though so we'll have to wait and see!

 

[Jambo]

Absolutely amazing news for both Toldeo and the NA African elephant population, and for Renee especially, as despite having a calf this late in age she can finally grow a matriline of her own. Hopefully, Toledo will be willing for Renee to have one more calf most likely by Ajani to show her daughter how to deal with and raise a calf.

I would hope Renee would be given the opportunity to breed again - this being a female calf certainly helps bolster the chances of her receiving another recommendation.

She could easily get pregnant again next year if that was the intention, but obviously her health and physical condition would also play a huge part in this decision. There have been cows that have bred into their early 50's, so it's certainly not impossible.

 

[Nile Hippo Expert]

Absolutely amazing news for both Toldeo and the NA African elephant population, and for Renee especially, as despite having a calf this late in age she can finally grow a matriline of her own. Hopefully, Toledo will be willing for Renee to have one more calf most likely by Ajani to show her daughter how to deal with and raise a calf.

I very highly doubt Renee is having another calf because like @Frankie_number_1_fan said she is 45 and is already a record holder for age to give birth when she had Kirkja, and she is only gonna get older. However, I do hope that Kirkja can start breeding in about 10-15 years and eventually become a great breeding cow whether it is with Ajani or any other bull because she is a valuable animal to the SSP with two wild-born parents.

 

[Jambo]

because she is a valuable animal to the SSP with two wild-born parents.

I don't believe Kirkja's sire has been confirmed as of yet..?

 

[Frankie_number_1_fan]

I would hope Renee would be given the opportunity to breed again - this being a female calf certainly helps bolster the chances of her receiving another recommendation.

She could easily get pregnant again next year if that was the intention, but obviously her health and physical condition would also play a huge part in this decision. There have been cows that have bred into their early 50's, so it's certainly not impossible.

If Ajani was a proven bull then I would definitely expect another calf out of Renee. She was clearly reproductivly sound enough for this pregnancy and as far as I know she had a normal, healthy pregnancy. My only hesitation is that, unless Ajani suddenly pulls it together (so to speak), she would have to be AI'd again, and the success rate of that at her age is definitely dwindling.
While certainly not impossible, I think its important to be realistic with our expectations.

I don't believe Kirkja's sire has been confirmed as of yet..?

Yes it has. Her sire is Titian at the Sedgewick County Zoo!

 

[Jambo]

Yes it has. Her sire is Titian at the Sedgewick County Zoo

Thank you. With all the births and success we've had lately (both with the African and Asian populations), it's certainly a lot to recall.

 

[E Maximus]

I very highly doubt Renee is having another calf because like @Frankie_number_1_fan said she is 45 and is already a record holder for age to give birth when she had Kirkja, and she is only gonna get older. However, I do hope that Kirkja can start breeding in about 10-15 years and eventually become a great breeding cow whether it is with Ajani or any other bull because she is a valuable animal to the SSP with two wild-born parents.

Renee could definitely have another calf if given the opportunity. Wild cows remain fertile up until death and regularly will reproduce up until death unless they become nulliparous (haven't conceived in a while). She is also in good health despite her age, I mean Whimpy at EAF in Oklahoma had her calf Cameron Lee at the age of 50 so Renee definitely can too. Also, having lost two calves to EEHV it would be ridiculously dumb IMO to let a founder such as herself not get the opportunity to calve again almost as bad of a decision as sending Mikki from Louisville to the sanctuary.

 

[Frankie_number_1_fan]

Renee could definitely have another calf if given the opportunity. Wild cows remain fertile up until death and regularly will reproduce up until death unless they become nulliparous (haven't conceived in a while). She is also in good health despite her age, I mean Whimpy at EAF in Oklahoma had her calf Cameron Lee at the age of 50 so Renee definitely can too. Also, having lost two calves to EEHV it would be ridiculously dumb IMO to let a founder such as herself not get the opportunity to calve again almost as bad of a decision as sending Mikki from Louisville to the sanctuary.

Renee's best chance at having another calf would be to have a proven bull onsite, which Toledo currently does not. Unless Ajani sired calves in Sedgwick (which is incredibly unlikely imo), who knows how long it would be before she would have an insemination result in a successful pregnancy (I am unaware of how many times Renee was AI'd, but it was over a decade between Lucas' birth and Kirkja's conception). I'd be way more optimistic if she'd been naturally bred before and/or Ajani actually knew what to do.

 

[Frankie_number_1_fan]

Mid-year African Elephant reproduction update!

There are currently 9 confirmed pregnancies, with two more due this year and a stunning seven confirmed for next year! There has not been any movement of bulls into breeding situations thus far in the year, but who knows what the rest of 2024 will bring!

Current pregnancies:

0.1 Nolwazi (Wild x Wild) at Fresno Chaffee Zoo is due Fall 2024

0.1 Amahle (Wild x Nolwazi) at Fresno Chaffee Zoo is due Fall 2024

0.1 Simunye (Wild x Wild) at Sedgwick County Zoo is due in April 2025

0.1 Talia (Wild x Wild) at Sedgwick County Zoo is due in April 2025

0.1 Xolani (Wild x Wild) at Sedgwick County Zoo is due in May 2025

0.1 Arusi (Wild x Wild) at Sedgwick County Zoo is due in June 2025

0.1 Kianga (Jackson x Vasha) at Disney's Animal Kingdom is due in 2025

0.1 Luna (Maclean x Donna) at Disney's Animal Kingdom is due in 2025

0.1 Zuberi (Wild x Wild) at Sedgwick County Zoo is due in 2025

There has been the birth of 1.2 calves:

0.1 Kirkja (Titian x Renee) was born on February 17th at the Toledo Zoo

1.0 Hondo (Callee x Omma) was born on February 18th at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo

0.1 Meru (Mabhulane x Litsemba) was born on March 8th at Reid Park Zoo

 

[Zoo-Lover-1-2-3]

Mid-year African Elephant reproduction update!

There are currently 9 confirmed pregnancies, with two more due this year and a stunning seven confirmed for next year! There has not been any movement of bulls into breeding situations thus far in the year, but who knows what the rest of 2024 will bring!

Current pregnancies:

0.1 Nolwazi (Wild x Wild) at Fresno Chaffee Zoo is due Fall 2024

0.1 Amahle (Wild x Nolwazi) at Fresno Chaffee Zoo is due Fall 2024

0.1 Simunye (Wild x Wild) at Sedgwick County Zoo is due in April 2025

0.1 Talia (Wild x Wild) at Sedgwick County Zoo is due in April 2025

0.1 Xolani (Wild x Wild) at Sedgwick County Zoo is due in May 2025

0.1 Arusi (Wild x Wild) at Sedgwick County Zoo is due in June 2025

0.1 Kianga (Jackson x Vasha) at Disney's Animal Kingdom is due in 2025

0.1 Luna (Maclean x Donna) at Disney's Animal Kingdom is due in 2025

0.1 Zuberi (Wild x Wild) at Sedgwick County Zoo is due in 2025

There has been the birth of 1.2 calves:

0.1 Kirkja (Titian x Renee) was born on February 17th at the Toledo Zoo

1.0 Hondo (Callee x Omma) was born on February 18th at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo

0.1 Meru (Mabhulane x Litsemba) was born on March 8th at Reid Park Zoo

The amount African elephants that are currently pregnant on your list that are also wild born is almost all of them. This if I’m correct is a great thing because it’s brining new genes into the gene pool!

 

[Hyak_II]

Not…really. The vast majority of the pregnancies are sired by either Callee or Mabu, and a reasonable portion of the newer Swazi imports are likely related to each other as well.

 

[Nile Hippo Expert]

Nolwazi at Fresno had a male calf this morning, he looks so adorable!
6.2K views · 470 reactions | Look who decided to join us for #ElephantWeek | Fresno Chaffee Zoo

 

[Hyak_II]

Nice to see another calf on the ground! Of course, rather disappointing to see it's a bull (Hopefully we can get another Rama or Kirkja situation with this one), but very good for Nolwazi's reproductive health all the same, and of course an excellent refresher for Amahle as well, prior to the birth of her own calf.

 

[Frankie_number_1_fan]

Nolwazi at Fresno had a male calf this morning, he looks so adorable!
6.2K views · 470 reactions | Look who decided to join us for #ElephantWeek | Fresno Chaffee Zoo

Happy to see another healthy birth this year, we are up to #4!! I was under the impression that neither of the girls were going to give birth this month but lovely all the same. However I definitely agree with the sentiment that another male Mabu calf is a touch disappointing, this is his 9th son.
Fingers crossed that Amahle has a healthy girl !