North American Asian and African Elephant Populations 2025: Discussion and Speculation

[Frankie_number_1_fan]

She could be already pregnant but the zoo has not announced it yet. She is only 20.

I'm not holding my breath. I would love to be wrong, but with her refusal to be naturally bred and with how finicky AI can be, I think we should be prepared to expect that she will never have a calf. That being said, Dallas has yet to announce a pregnancy before the calf arrives, so if she is pregnant we wouldn't know until said calf has already hit the ground! We'll have to wait and see!

If it gets to that point with her, then the other young cow mlilo will be the only viable individual for producing offspring, resulting in options for that being too restrictive IMO.

Many facilities have relied on a singular cow to grow their program, and many currently only have one viable cow! Think of OKC, who was in a very similar situation not too many years ago, and now look at the size of their program!
It's not ideal, but certainly not a huge problem. Mlilo has, assuming nothing goes awry, at least two decades of reproductive potential in her. She's only on calf number two, plenty of time to have a number of daughters and build a sizable group for Dallas.

 

[The Horse Boy]

Many facilities have relied on a singular cow to grow their program, and many currently only have one viable cow! Think of OKC, who was in a very similar situation not too many years ago, and now look at the size of their program!

Reid Park and Rosamond Gifford are also examples of facilities having two breedable cows but only one willing. Each sole female at the two cited zoos have produced a good number of calves over the years. I know Reid Park houses another cow named Lungile who has never produced offspring for some reason, but she has served as a wonderful aunt or 'allomother' to Semba's kids which alludes to wild cow/calf elephant herds having aunts. The same could be germane to Zola with Mlilo's offspring. Kirina and Chandra as well.

 

[Jambo]

Reid Park and Rosamond Gifford are also examples of facilities having two breedable cows but only one willing. Each sole female at the two cited zoos have produced a good number of calves over the years. I know Reid Park houses another cow named Lungile who has never produced offspring for some reason, but she has served as a wonderful aunt or 'allomother' to Semba's kids which alludes to wild cow/calf elephant herds having aunts. The same could be germane to Zola with Mlilo's offspring. Kirina and Chandra as well.

Lungile at Reid Park did have a calf at San Diego Safari Park - although the young female passed at only a few months old due to a variety of illnesses.

I'm not entirely sure why she hasn't bred since. Elephant database lists her as being pregnant in 2011 - not sure how accurate that is, but if true, it could be another case of a cow a their dead calf and not passing it.

 

[The Horse Boy]

Whilst I would love to be proven wrong as Mlilo's birth with Okubili was only announced just after it happened iirc, if Zola's so doggedly resistant to being inseminated by bulls, then I conjecture it will not make a big difference if even Mabu or Callee tried to breed her, and Tendaji was traded out to another facility for either of these 2, which I probably won't predict happening for another few years at the least

 

[Yassa]

Zola may not put up any resistance if paired up with another, fully mature bull! A fully mature, experienced breeding bull is also likely to be able to mate her despite her resistance (without it getting violent).

 

[The Horse Boy]

Zola may not put up any resistance if paired up with another, fully mature bull! A fully mature, experienced breeding bull is also likely to be able to mate her despite her resistance (without it getting violent).

If that's relevant then I feel Mabu will be the next bull replace Tendaji once it's time for the former to move from Fresno after he produces a few more calves from the two cows there (I pray the lord the next ones be females), and the latter to go to any other breeding facility. Mabu for over the past 10 years has mostly been in facilities that house one to two viable cows, and his breeding and calving success seem to have lately been slower paced than Callee, making him a better candidate.
I also think mabu is more experienced in the field than Tendaji cause he's about 15 years older than him

 

[Frankie_number_1_fan]

If that's relevant then I feel Mabu will be the next bull replace Tendaji once it's time for the former to move from Fresno after he produces a few more calves from the two cows there (I pray the lord the next ones be females), and the latter to go to any other breeding facility. Mabu for over the past 10 years has mostly been in facilities that house one to two viable cows, and his breeding and calving success seem to have lately been slower paced than Callee, making him a better candidate.
I also think mabu is more experienced in the field than Tendaji cause he's about 15 years older than him

While Tendaji's age could certianly be a factor, at this point I highly doubt they'll send him out in fabor of Mabu. As we all know, Mabu has a plethora of offspring, over half of them male, sitting in various facilities. Tendaji is unquestionably the more valuable male (in comparison) and has already had success breeding Mlilo. I find it doubtful they they'd send Tendaji out for a more-represented bull that ultimately might be just as unsuccessful, whether that be due to Zola's behavior or age.
I would be shocked if Tendaji permanently left Dallas before having at least a few more calves.

 

[The Horse Boy]

I would be shocked if Tendaji permanently left Dallas before having at least a few more calves

Tbf, as you pointed out earlier, there's no breeding rush for the Dallas bull and 2 cows in the same vein as 3 of the SDSP cows, NC, Indy, Tampa, and even DAK. Mlilo has tons of time to set up a matriline without having to consider a herd split unlike 2 other facilities which have 5 swaziland cows who came at rhe same time as Dallas. What I really hope happens is that next calf born after Okie and beyond would be girls.

 

[Frankie_number_1_fan]

Tbf, as you pointed out earlier, there's no breeding rush for the Dallas bull and 2 cows in the same vein as 3 of the SDSP cows, NC, Indy, Tampa, and even DAK. Mlilo has tons of time to set up a matriline without having to consider a herd split unlike 2 other facilities which have 5 swaziland cows who came at rhe same time as Dallas. What I really hope happens is that next calf born after Okie and beyond would be calves.

I don't think Its fair or accurate to compare Dallas' situation to Indy, NC, etc.
Dallas has a proven, wildborn bull onsite that they have been actively placing with their cows for years. They even reintroduced Tendaji to Mlilo last year, likely in hopes for a 2026 calf. It's unfortunate about Zola's situation, but it doesn't mean Dallas is doing anything "wrong". Their proven cow is being given all the reccomended opportunities to breed as frequently as possible. So yes, they do have plenty of time if they continue with this trajectory.

This is in comparison to the other facilities you mentioned, who do not have bulls onsite or are otherwise not doing any of this.

 

[The Horse Boy]

They even reintroduced Tendaji to Mlilo last year, likely in hopes for a 2026 calf. It's unfortunate about Zola's situation, but it doesn't mean Dallas is doing anything "wrong". Their proven cow is being given all the reccomended opportunities to breed as frequently as possible. So yes, they do have plenty of time if they continue with this trajectory.

Also, their calf prospects should be more promising than before when they had Ajabju til he died succumbing to EEHV two years ago. I'm still unsure if that's true, but staff told me on my three recent visits that they now have a dedicated EEHV lab for African Elephants, and they have a sign for it posted in front of the large pools by the Udango yard- where Tendaji usually hangs for sololitude now. The only other US zoo i can think of that also has a lab allocated for African young is Fresno, and they installed that last summer in preparation for the birth of their two calves.

 

[John Marchwick]

There's absolutely zero sense in sending him to the majority of the facilities you just listed. The only ones that need a new bull right now are Pittsburgh, Tampa, and North Carolina, and truthfully, Musi would not be an ideal fit for any of them. All three have cows that NEED to be breed as soon as possible, if it's not too late already, and Musi has not proven himself to be a bull capable of that yet. They need studs like Callee or Mabu, or even bulls like Maclean or Tendaji who have at least proven themselves able to get the job done before wasting time with a bull of questionable breeding potential and social competency.

I’m just seeing this now, but there is not a chance in the realistic future Vus Musi is going anywhere outside of the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park anytime soon in terms of transfer. Just to add additional context why him transferring to North Carolina, ZooTampa and Pittsburgh is unlikely for the time being.

 

[John Marchwick]

I don't think Its fair or accurate to compare Dallas' situation to Indy, NC, etc.
Dallas has a proven, wildborn bull onsite that they have been actively placing with their cows for years. They even reintroduced Tendaji to Mlilo last year, likely in hopes for a 2026 calf. It's unfortunate about Zola's situation, but it doesn't mean Dallas is doing anything "wrong". Their proven cow is being given all the reccomended opportunities to breed as frequently as possible. So yes, they do have plenty of time if they continue with this trajectory.

This is in comparison to the other facilities you mentioned, who do not have bulls onsite or are otherwise not doing any of this.

It was posted before by other zoochat members that Zola has refused to breed with Tendaji in the past. I don’t know if that’s the case now, but I know as of a couple years ago anyway that was the case.

 

[The Horse Boy]

It was posted before by other zoochat members that Zola has refused to breed with Tendaji in the past. I don’t know if that’s the case now, but I know as of a couple years ago anyway that was the case.

I was at the Dallas Zoo last spring doing a q&a and conversation about the elephant facility and their individuals with a keeper (the keeper in question actually seemed to share how knowledgeable I am about the African elephant population and facilities all across the states), and as I broached that subject, he justified the situation by saying Zola's a bit young, presumably 15-17. But in reality, I think the zoo is hiding her being tenaciously resistant over Tendaji mounting her .

 

[John Marchwick]

I was at the Dallas Zoo last spring doing a q&a and conversation about the elephant facility and their individuals with a keeper (the keeper in question actually seemed to share how knowledgeable I am about the African elephant population and facilities all across the states), and as I broached that subject, he justified the situation by saying Zola's a bit young, presumably 15-17. But in reality, I think the zoo is hiding her being tenaciously resistant over Tendaji mounting her .

Zola is 21 years old and not 15-17 years old.

 

[Frankie_number_1_fan]

I was at the Dallas Zoo last spring doing a q&a and conversation about the elephant facility and their individuals with a keeper (the keeper in question actually seemed to share how knowledgeable I am about the African elephant population and facilities all across the states), and as I broached that subject, he justified the situation by saying Zola's a bit young, presumably 15-17. But in reality, I think the zoo is hiding her being tenaciously resistant over Tendaji mounting her .

Very interesting that an apparent keeper would lie about Zola's age and the urgency to breed her. Was it definitely a keeper and not an education staff member/volunteer?

 

[The Horse Boy]

Very interesting that an apparent keeper would lie about Zola's age and the urgency to breed her. Was it definitely a keeper and not an education staff member/volunteer?

I didn't say the keeper outright lied about her age. Speculate might be a better choice of words. 21 is her generally estimated age

 

[Frankie_number_1_fan]

I didn't say the keeper outright lied about her age. Speculate might be a better choice of words. 21 is her generally estimated age

15-17 versus 21 is a pretty big difference from what has been publicly shared about her age in the past. Hence why I asked if the staff member was a volunteer or educational employee since they tend to be less reliable with their information.

 

[The Horse Boy]

It's generally hard to know the exact age of a wild caught animal because you can't access their birthdate in contrast to captive born one.

 

[Jambo]

It's generally hard to know the exact age of a wild caught animal because you can't access their birthdate in contrast to captive born one.

I still think it's safe to say that Zola is not fifteen nor even seventeen. Just look at photos from her arrival to the US in 2016. She's very clearly an adult cow by that point in time - not an adolescent female.

 

[The Horse Boy]

Sometimes i think facilities having 1 to 2 breedable cows is a better road to go down than having 5 or more as it means fretting less over the potential of numerous amounts of unrelated cows and calves in the same space and reaching capacity too quickly, resulting in a herd split . Fresno is a great example for them having only 2 viable cows as Amahle is Nowalzi's daughter.