It's now officially confirmed that Timber will move from Emmen to Eindhoven Zoo later this year. It is not yet known which bull will move to Emmen after that. Emmen hopes not to be without a bull for too long and that a new bull will arrive a few days after Timber's move.
Absolutely devastating for Dublin and their herd, you really can't make this up. They were in such a great position with their herd with possibly 3-5 breeding cows over the next few years following the arrival of the impressive and proven bull Aung Bo from Chester but now EEHV has wreaked through their herd as a cruel reminder of the damage it can cause.
Its awful to loose ANY animal to eehv, but two young cows right at the beginning of their reproductive future is just another harsh blow. They are almost back to square one now with three (maybe only two if Dina isn't breeding) cows.
Are there any bulls in Europe that have thrown more female offspring?
Aung Bo is one so far, albeit with a smaller sample size.
Absolute beyond tragic news, the tables have turned in a very negative way in regards to EEHV at Dublin. Just can't imagine what the zoo is going through at this tough time.
I do wonder if its worth the risk to breed Dina again. She did neglect to care for Avani after she was born and hand-reared calves are tough survival gambles. Asha and Samiya, if bred in short intervals, could easily bump the numbers up again. Im sure any surplus males would make their way to the US or Australia as well as they've done with previous animals.
I wouldn't be surprised if Dublin do indeed elect to just breed from Asha and Samiya; both females are relatively young and could still have more than two decades of breeding ahead of them. Breeding at natural intervals (three to four years) will be the intention either way.
