Auckland Zoo elephant herd now in the works

I read what SPCA president Bob Kerridge says and just shook my head in amusement.....
There's a video on the link too if you want to watch
Jumbo dilemma splits SPCA and Auckland Zoo | NATIONAL News
1 July 2011

Auckland Zoo and the SPCA are at loggerheads over the future of Burma the lonely elephant.

Burma has been by herself since her companion Kashin died last August.

The zoo wants the SPCA's backing to bring in two more elephants to keep her company, but the SPCA objects to keeping elephants in zoos.

SPCA president Bob Kerridge says the evidence is clear the animal is happiest in the wild.

"All the pictures you see of elephants in the wild, they're there together, roaming, a big herd of elephants," Kerridge told TV ONE's Close Up.

"Internationally the trend is to take elephants out of zoos and put them into their natural environment."

But Auckland Zoo director Jonathan Wilcken says the trend is actually going the other way.

He says Burma might not be accepted if she is released into the wild.

"We strongly feel that it's best for Burma to stay here," Wilcken said.

"A lot of people are influenced by the sorts of zoos that were around 20 years ago. This zoo has been transformed over the past 20 years."

The zoo plans to bring in two females to live with Burma and start a breeding programme with artificial insemination.

That's another point of concern for Kerridge.

"These elephants are going to be born in captivity and they will probably never leave captivity. That's the only life they'll ever know, which I don't think is fair at all."

Kerridge is concerned Burma will have less roaming room when the other elephants arrive.

"Elephants need a lot of space, I mean they walk three square miles a day."

Auckland Council agreed in May to lend Auckland Zoo $3.2 million to import two orphaned juvenile elephants from Sri Lanka.

Kerridge says now all he can do is continue to object.

"I just hope one day, there will be no elephants at Auckland Zoo."

An independent poll done last year showed more than 80% of people wanted the zoo to continue to have elephants.

The elephants are not expected to be at the zoo until September next year.
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its been a while since there were any updates about Auckland's elephant plans
No Mates For Asian Elephant Burma At Auckland Zoo... | Stuff.co.nz
25 April 2012

Burma, the elephant at Auckland Zoo, will be alone for at least another year while the hunt to find friends for her continues.

The search is taking longer than planned.

The 29-year-old Asian elephant has been the zoo's only elephant for almost three years since her companion Kashin died in 2009.

Auckland Council approved the zoo's proposal to get two new elephants from overseas in May last year.

At the time the zoo said Burma's new friends were likely to arrive in the second half of 2012.

Since then the zoo has looked to elephant rescue and breeding centres and the 125 registered elephant-holding zoos around the world as possible sources for companions for Burma.

Auckland Zoo spokeswoman Jane Healy says it is following up on the best options and Sri Lanka is the most likely place the new elephants will come from.

She says importing elephants is a complex undertaking which will take time and once the right elephant companions have been confirmed it is likely to take close to a year before they arrive.

Elephants are social animals and in the wild female Asian elephants usually live in herds.

Waikato University's Mary Foster has done extensive research into animal behaviour and says human company at the zoo means Burma isn't alone.

''Dogs are social animals as well, and many live alone from a dog's perspective. But as long as they are stimulated they're reasonably happy,'' she says.

''Animals need to have things to do.''

Healy says Burma is coping well on her own for this reason.

''Her keepers, who she knows very well, provide important companionship and ensure her days are fun and challenging,'' she says.
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Wow, an article on Auckland's elephants that was written in a positive light??? What next - a negative one about Craig Busch?

I honestly feel that Auckland Zoo should cease keeping elephants, there is not enough space even with expansion, and they would be better off displaying another high-profile species there, namely gorillas.

In an ideal world, Auckland would develop an open-range zoo slightly to the north of the city, and keep elephants - and other megafauna - there. I think the population is big enough to support it, and the elephants there would be a major drawcard.
 
Maybe buying the property behind Franklin Zoo and making that into an Elephant enclosure might be an idea, as it looks like Auckland Zoo is going to have even more to do with the smaller zoo now.

I think London Zoo many years ago had space problems, and started up Whipsnade initially as a holding area for off display animals, but it eventually became a popular zoo attraction itself. And was I think one of the first to have open range type displays.
 
kiwipo said:
An interesting article on sending Elephants to a Sanctuary

Three African Elephants Moved From Toronto Zoo To Sanctuary | Global Animal
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In the interests of historical accuracy [and for the benefit of those of us who will only read the headline and not the full article] it should be pointed out that the elephants have not left Toronto yet.

The zoo has lost it's AZA accreditation because the animal professionals had no input into the destination of the elephants. They wanted them to go to an accredited facility.

The local Council [which owns the zoo] decided to send them to a non-accredited facility following a campaign by former TV people and "celebrities". Even when it was found that elephants at the "sanctuary" were dying of TB, the council persisted in overuling the real experts.

The article that kiwipo has provided a link to is on an animal rights site.
 
What does the general zoo-going public in New Zealand want when it comes to elephants? Is there public support for bringing more into the country?

The LA Zoo had a long running battle over building its new Asian ele exhibit with the same "celebrities" that Steve referenced above. Fortunately the animal rights folks lost and it was pretty clear that public support was not on their side.
 
DavidBrown said:
What does the general zoo-going public in New Zealand want when it comes to elephants? Is there public support for bringing more into the country?

The LA Zoo had a long running battle over building its new Asian ele exhibit with the same "celebrities" that Steve referenced above. Fortunately the animal rights folks lost and it was pretty clear that public support was not on their side.
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Most New Zealanders want a herd of elephants in the country, the only real opposition is from 'animal welfare' activists and people who believe they will be disadvantaged by the reduction in size of the neighbouring park as a result of the expansion of the elephant exhibit. I haven't actually seen any NZ celebrities (lol) becoming involved in the debate.

Establishing a herd of elephants at Auckland Zoo would be beneficial for a number of reasons, including increasing visitor numbers, allowing NZers to see these animals, and supporting the ASMP. However, the current plan to import two additional females is short-sighted and far from ideal. Further expansion to accomodate a bull and growing herd will face more opposition, and may not be approved by council.

Assuming the two females are imported, but a herd cannot be established, problems will undoubtedly arise down the track. Elephant enclosure standards will become higher, and the zoo will not be able to expand again. If the zoo again finds itself with one elephant, welfare concerns will prevent companion females being imported. The remaining elephant will be sent overseas, and NZ will never have elephants again.

I believe that the only way Auckland Zoo can now establish a breeding herd of elephants is to do so off-site, with the creation of a open range style zoo. This should suit half the current opponents, pacify animal welfare concerns among the general public, and allow a world-class elephant facility to be created. It would also allow more large animals to be suitably housed, allowing Auckland to actively participate in programmes for ungulates and other larger species. Such a zoo could be commercially succesful, to a degree, as it would have major drawcard species and provide a unique attraction in NZ. This does not have to occur immediately, but could occur in the future when conditions (economic mostly) allow.

Franklin Zoo would not be a suitable spot for such a zoo however. For a start Auckland is never going to move Asian Elephants to a site with an African Elephant, as this would be a huge policy reversal. Also, Franklin Zoo is too far from the population that would visit it to be comercially viable, is too steep a site to work properly, and does not have the infrastructure (roads, etc.) to support such an attraction. A new zoo would need to be to the north of the city, ideally near where I usually live :D.
 
People have been talking about an open range zoo in Auckland since the 1970s. The ratepayers won't stand for it when Auckland Zoo already exists.

Franklin Zoo is only 30 minutes south of Auckland and close to a motorway exit.
 
I'm not sure if the following is actually a recent release, or if it is an old one that has somehow got recycled, but it is dated 9 July 2013:
Auckland zoo says Sri Lankan elephants could be quarantined on Niue
Auckland Zoo, which wants to bring in elephants from Sri Lanka, says they could be quarantined on Niue.
The head of marketing for the zoo, Ben Hutton, says nothing has been finalised, both in terms of securing the elephants or just where they might be quarantined.
But he says a requirement of the importation of Asian elephants is that they spend 3 months in quarantine in a third country and Niue is one of the places being considered.
Niue has successfully served as a quarantine station in the past for animals imported into New Zealand.
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Obviously Niue was the quarantine site mentioned way back in 2010. An IHS has recently been finalised for the import of Asian elephants from Sri Lanka and Australia, so hopefully some progress will soon be noted.
 
Brief update that the proposed elephants from Sri Lanka could arrive for quarantine in Niue before the end of 2013

Auckland zoo still working on Niue elephant deal

Auckland Zoo says the new elephants it wants to bring to New Zealand will definitely spend three months in quarantine on Niue first.

The zoo?s head of marketing Ben Hutton says work is continuing to import two elephants from an orphanage in Sri Lanka and if the deal is successful the earliest they will arrive by plane on Niue is late November.

He says if the Sri Lanka arrangement falls through elephants will come from another country and arrive later.

Mr Hutton says the logistics in organising such an operation are mind-boggling.

News Content
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Slightly more information on the elephants quarantine in Niue.

Story here: Elephants set to move to world's smallest nation | News | The Week UK

A REMOTE island in the South Pacific is set to welcome a pair of elephants to its shores after Auckland Zoo said it was pressing ahead with plans to quarantine the animals there.

The New Zealand zoo wants to bring in two orphaned Asian elephant calves from Sri Lanka as company for its lone female, Burma, who lost her mate Kashin in 2009.

However, strict quarantine rules mean that because there is foot and mouth disease in Sri Lanka the animals cannot be flown direct to New Zealand. So the zoo has decided to ask Niue, the world's smallest state, to host the elephants for three months.

Earlier this summer TVNZ reported that "the Pacific is being eyed up as a likely candidate as there is no animal export industry at stake". The Cook Islands declined to help, saying the risks were too high. But nearby Niue is ready to offer the elephants a sanctuary and Radio New Zealand International this week confirmed that it could become their temporary home.

Jonathan Wilcken, head of Auckland Zoo, says the process of bringing the elephants to New Zealand will be a lengthy one. "They will have to undergo a quarantine programme in their country of origin," he explains.

"Then, accompanied by a small team of elephant specialists they'll be sent by air to the island of Niue for further medical checks and quarantine procedures before coming to Auckland."

The tiny nation of Niue, with a population of 1,400, once hosted an alpaca quarantine station and is now preparing for the arrival of the elephants. However, there are fears they could cause havoc, trampling banana and taro plantations on the 260sq km tropical island if they escape from their holding pen.

There have been reports on social media that the animals could be on the island by November, although there has also been criticism of the Niuean government, which has not commented on the possibility that the island could be about to adopt a pair of elephants.
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Seems allot of trouble for just two elephants, I would have thought 4 a more reasonable number.
 
zooboy28 said:
Certainly 4 would have been nice - but there is no room for them.
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So they don't intend to create a herd?

If they do not intend to create a herd they should not do this!

***Okay have just read allot of this thread, glad to see l am stating the obvious and not alone in my thoughts.

For a Zoo to do this is a very sad example of just how bad zoos can be in 2013 and why the anti zoo brigade have a place.
 
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zooman said:
So they don't intend to create a herd?

If they do not intend to create a herd they should not do this!
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I actually don't know what you're talking about. It is intended to breed the Sri Lankan females through AI initially, growing the herd, then they will begin fundraising to expand the exhibit with the potential of importing a bull, or they may opt to exclusively breed using AI, depending on logistics.
 
A small note (despite the headline!) in this article about CHOGM (held this year in Sri Lanka): CHOGM Sri Lanka | Elephants Offered to New Zealand... | Stuff.co.nz

Sri Lanka has offered to gift elephants to Auckland zoo. “We are comfortable that they come to New Zealand...the fact that they send us a couple of elephants isn’t going to stop us asking the hard questions in a bilateral meeting with the President.” [statement by John Key, NZ Prime Minister]
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