Why not keep single elephant bulls/bachelor groups?

[Sun Wukong]

This question has crossed my mind for a while, and I wonder what all you elephant fans [honestly, I'm not one; the only elephant species I'm really fond of were Elephas creticus and falconeri ] in this forum think about it:

Every year, elephants are born in captivity. Always a big thing, with the media reporting about the birth and the public going nuts about the little one for a while.
Statistically, there should be a 1:1 ratio in regard to the sex of the offspring (although I remember reading that there might be a slight male surplus).
But what to do with the little males when they are no longer cute & "tiny"?
The growing endangerment of the staff (remember the fatal incident at Vienna a few years ago?), related to the usually rather aggressive behaviour of elephant bulls (often heightened during musth), and the accompanying costs and additional space for seperate bull exhibits, result in only a few institutions being willing and capable of keeping elephant bulls. Thus, it isn't all too easy to find a suitable place for a young male elephant.

So my question is: why shouldn't some zoos rather focus on keeping a single bull, or maybe a bachelor herd of social bulls?
I'm honest enough to say that I'm not the first to come up with this idea (see point 8 of the link)
http://www.asesg.org/PDFfiles/Gajah 27/Gajah 27 - Global Elephant Management Program.pdf
but so far, I can't remember a single zoo following this advice. Maybe because it would mean that they would have to deal with and spend some money on one or two mean bulls, and not get some cute crowd-drawing elephant babies as a compensation...Which is a shame, as there would be several advantages:
-there would be finally some extra suitable places for otherwisely "surplus" male offspring-and maybe some better bull exhibits
-breeding coordination could be more flexible
-even smaller zoos could afford keeping elephants, if they just housed a single bull or two
-it would well be within the normal social behaviour range of elephants (as males form bachelor groups or live as singles in the wild, only meeting females for mating)

Your opinion?

Database of the Asian Elephants at the Zoological Gardens

 

[jwer]

The "problem" of a male surplus is only a thing of recent years. Not untill the steadily growing group of young bulls from Emmen are coming of age was there any problem with space regarding male bulls.

Recently, not only have several zoo's increased their capability of keeping more bulls (Cologne and Leipzig spring to mind), two bachelor herds have allready been created (one in Belgium, and recently Dierenrijk in Mierlo, NL) alongside the existing facility at Benidorm.

But you are right that in my opinion city zoo's (Amsterdam, Antwerp) or small paddocks (Krefeld springs to mind) could be ideal locations to keep either single or a small herd of bachelors.

The only real problem i see, is that with African elephants there seems to be at least some mature bulls needed to set the young ones straight every now and then, and most of these bachelor groups wouldn't be able to keep at least one elderly, and then a group of young males.

So it'll be interesting to see how socially developed the males will be when they leave Mierlo and join a breeding herd without having benefitted the presence of an adult bull during puberty...

If they do okay, i hope every small city zoo will eventually focus on keeping one or two males...

 

[Sun Wukong]

@jwer: It might only be a rather recent thing (and I would call it a growing problem) because surplus bulls were given to circuses in the past-just like surplus big cats, bears, primates or hoofstock. Now that this option is no longer "PC", it will become harder to find good spots for bulls.

Thanks for the info about the Dutch and the Belgian examples. Isn't there also a large institution in Spain that took several elephant bulls in the past?

I guess the young bulls will make their way-all claims of gay Polish elephants left aside.
I remember Hildebrandt & Göritz of the IZW even mentioning in a lecture that the sperm quality of elephants and white rhinos decreases in quality when a superior dominate male is around-maybe another reason why to keep just a single bull. And yes, the mentioned examples would be fine for keeping a single bull (although I think Krefeld should rather use the space for their Black rhinos).

Honestly, and sorry even if this might offend some elephant fans: why bother breeding African Bush Elephants? Keeping CITES ivory-influenced categorisation aside, the species isn't endangered (Near Threatened, according to the IUCN), except a few local population decreases in parts of East Africa. Better focus on Asian elephants-or river hippos, for which I could ask the same.

 

[jwer]

Thanks for the info about the Dutch and the Belgian examples. Isn't there also a large institution in Spain that took several elephant bulls in the past?

Added Benidorm about 30 seconds after i posted, that's why it doesn't even show "jwer has edited" but you probably missed it...

The talk btw is that Nurnberg was going to shift to bulls, only to retract that later on and change it into "temporarily holding bulls" and in another rumour, Antwerp was considering holding one or two bulls after their breeding group was moved to Planckendael. But considering the strength of the current exhibit (egyptian temple), they can't be exhibited in there unless some heavy modifications are made...

 

[Sun Wukong]

Thanks @jwer, now I noticed it! To add to your comment: I wouldn't like to see every small city zoo to have one or two elephant bulls; as you know, some have only really limited space available, and the result would not be convincing for all parties involved. However, imho, there are some small zoos that would be great for this purpose.

 

[Buckeye092]

From the US perspective, a male surplus is the least of our elephant problems. Currently there are 28.130 African Elephants in NA and 27.91 Asian Elephants. Most US institutions don't even have males, mostly due to the inability to house a male. Unfortunately most of the recent Asian births have been males so the Denver Zoo has been hypothesizing about creating a bachelor herd for their Asian Tropics exhibit which I think would be nothing less than spectacular. However I believe the elephants would need to be introduced at a young age to reduce aggression. It's worked with primates. Why not pachyderms?

 

[Sun Wukong]

@ColumbusZoo001: Like I wrote before-why then bother to breed African Bush Elephants? Rather focus on Asians-and those, according to your post, do have a surplus male problem.

 

[Jurek7]

Zoo Plock also took two young Asian bulls. BTW - what is their history?

@jwer: It might only be a rather recent thing (and I would call it a growing problem) because surplus bulls were given to circuses in the past

I think zoos actually got several subadult bulls from circuses when they became too agressive.

In some African reserves only immatures were reintroduced, or adults poached out, and juvenile bulls turned very agressive to people, attacked and killed white rhinos etc.

So nobody is really sure what becomes of these immature bulls in bachelor herds - unfortunately, there is a shortage of fully adult bulls in European zoos.

But of course, keeping several bull elephants is scary prospect for many small zoos!

 

[Sun Wukong]

I think zoos actually got several subadult bulls from circuses when they became too agressive.

(...)

But of course, keeping several bull elephants is scary prospect for many small zoos!

Yes, and afaik also the other way round.

It doesn't have to be scary-just keep a single one, and that well.

And about the repeated question about the socialisation of immature bulls: maybe it might be possible to keep them close to or even (randomly) together with a friendly older male as a "male role model" once in a while-to keep them "straight" as jwer nicely put it, and thus avoid "gay" Polish elephants (no pun intended-or maybe just a little one).

 

[Zoogoer2000]

The Birmingham Zoo in Alabama is currently in the works of creating an African exhibit with its main feature being a bachelor herd of male african elephants.

 

[UntBwe]

Zoo Plock also took two young Asian bulls. BTW - what is their history?


In some African reserves only immatures were reintroduced, or adults poached out, and juvenile bulls turned very agressive to people, attacked and killed white rhinos etc.

After introducing older bulls the youngsters were behave better. So it would be considerable to keep some young bulls together with an adult one.

@Jwer: Antwerp is going to build a complete new elephant enclosure (and also one for the girafs). The Temple will be closed for animals. It's still thinkable that they will keep a group of young bulls.

I don't believe that Artis ever will keep only bulls, they shall build a new elephant enclosure for a small breeding herd.

 

[Buckeye092]

The Birmingham Zoo in Alabama is currently in the works of creating an African exhibit with its main feature being a bachelor herd of male african elephants.

Yes but that project is a long way out and acquiring a group of African males is going to be tricky. They could just steal all of the SDWAP's male offspring.

 

[Kifaru Bwana]

@ColumbusZoo001: Like I wrote before-why then bother to breed African Bush Elephants? Rather focus on Asians-and those, according to your post, do have a surplus male problem.

Maybe semantics, but African Bush Elephants are not the savannah lingering taxon you probably have in mind. The East and South African populations are now referred to as African Savannah Elephants Loxodonta africana (ssp. 2 +), whereas African Bush Elephants are confined to the tropical rainforest of the Congo basin and West Africa (Cameroun up to Cote d'Ivoire). Up north you have relict African Savannah Elephants in the Sahelian zones (from Mali upto Sudan/Somalia/Eritrea area).

Re multiple bulls housing:
A) I really do think only large area zoos or rural zoos can maintain multiple bulls given space limitations in city zoos.
B) I seem to remember that the plans for the future remodelling of the Hagenbeck elephant exhibit in Hamburg includes several bull only enclosures to enable holding more than one bull. Along with several cow - calf enclosures and a cow cum baby yard.
C) There is quite a flurry of activity in building new elephant housing. Must check my list if further bull+ or even cum cows exhibits are planned. I personally would find it a far more natural setting if a zoo keep more bulls for breeding or those of different ages separated from the cows.
D) Elephant suppresant infertility with a more dominant bull around who monopolises all breeding access is a phenomenon poorly researched ..., but there seems some substance to it (also in herd living multiple bull white rhino).

 

[Zoogoer2000]

Yes but that project is a long way out and acquiring a group of African males is going to be tricky. They could just steal all of the SDWAP's male offspring.

Actually, they plan on acquiring Callee from Pittsburgh, Tufani from Animal Kingdom, Ajani from Indianapolis and they have intrest in Vus'Musi from San Diego and slight intrest in Chico from Caldwell

 

[MARK]

The Rockton Safrai park in Canada use to hold a number of Asian bull elephants for breeding, they had the space and the yards in which they could do that, also they have sent some of their bulls out to other zoos in North America on breeding loan, one of their bulls (Calvin) was even sent out to Europe were he has sired a number of calfs.

They have had much success in breeding them, I think the current herd size is about 15 animals

 

[jwer]

(also in herd living multiple bull white rhino).

With the risk of hijacking this perfectly fine thread, but isn't the recommendation for white rhino's these days to keep at least 2 bulls to keep them both stimulated and therefore ready to mate?

This is the first time ever i hear about the opposite being true, or does this only occur when the animals actually live in the same group, and not in adjacent exhibits? Weird to see two such different recommendations floating around, and it only shows how little we know about the reproduction of our thick-skinned friends...

 

[Sun Wukong]

@Kifaru Bwana: I had the following systematics in mind:

African Bush Elephant (Loxodonta africana) = African Savanna Elephant, with the subspecies
Loxodonta africana africana
Loxodonta africana knochenhaueri
Loxodonta africana orleansi
Loxodonta africana oxyotis

and

African Forest Elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis) with possibly two subspecies


[Spinage, C.; The Elephants: Taxonomy and Distribution; R.M. Nowak]

About point A): given the tiny exhibits bull elephants usually get, squeezing several of them into smaller zoos might be also an option...No, seriously: if the husbandry of bachelor groups (may that be in larger zoos or not) would result in better exhibits for the bulls, then this would be another bonus, because honestly: what I have seen bulls (and males of other zoo animal species) kept at wasn't usually a very nice sight.

 

[Buckeye092]

Actually, they plan on acquiring Callee from Pittsburgh, Tufani from Animal Kingdom, Ajani from Indianapolis and they have intrest in Vus'Musi from San Diego and slight intrest in Chico from Caldwell

Those are actually really great choices for a bachelor group but they need to act fast to begin intro's. I just think it would be harder to build a successful group when the elephants are mature.

 

[^Chris^]

I have wondered about this. With zoos like London, and soon Bristol, where both a countryside and city centre zoo are owned, maybe it would be a possibility to keep a herd on the rural site (with a breeding bull perhaps), and a spare male or two at the urban zoo.

I think it would be interesting to see how the public felt about it. I think the zoo would have to make an effort to explain the situation and that it's natural and not cruel to keep the elephant on its own.

 

[Kifaru Bwana]

I have a feeling that if we continue the current trend into building ever larger elephant exhibits pretty soon we are closing in on the year, the day and the exact hour and minute that elephant exhibits will become too large for a conventional zoo.

Do not be misguided to think I would not like to see larger elephant exhibits as I do advocate them to maintain more socially adapt elephant groups, however I hate to think that would happen at the expense of all other species. Whether we like it or not we do have space constraints inside our zoos and those we will never be able to cross or we just become an elephant zoo with nothing else. That seems a sad ending for the educational and ex situ conservation role zoos do have. We can perhaps provide 5 ha exhibits, but will we ever approach the wide open expanses of the wilds? I think those that do are kidding themselves ... badly. Besides, if we do we would no longer be the arcs in the Earth's park ... and that to me really epitomises the modern zoo tradition

For a more accurate of the situation in Europe, I will have to check my listings of elephant renovation or expansion projects over here and see what kind of potential impact they might have on total species to see what will be the direction in Europe. Perhaps a little different from the US/CA SSP?

Sun Wukong: the recent genetics and taxonomics work distinguishes between African savannah (Loxodonta africana) and African forest elephants (Loxodonto cyclotis) and perhaps a third species in West African elephants (viz. O'Brien et al). IUCN has provisionally listed the above distinction, but for enabling species conservation action reasons has yet to formally recognise the species raise of forest elephants into a separate taxon untill more genetics work has been done. So really, I did not just pull this one out of the hat myself.