Was there any attempt made to find a mate after Meranti died? Did Torgamba ever breed?
I'm sure the Aspinalls would have made a success with the Sumatrans if the fates hadn't conspired against them. From what I've read, it boiled down to bad luck.
And feed and pat him with a photo for the record! He was covered in mud and I didn't wash it off for a while... That was on the fourth and last occassion that I saw him, a few months before he left. On the first two times there were the pair, but seperated. It had taken me approx thirty years to see this species, hence my reaction.
Was there any attempt made to find a mate after Meranti died? Did Torgamba ever breed?
I'm sure the Aspinalls would have made a success with the Sumatrans if the fates hadn't conspired against them. From what I've read, it boiled down to bad luck.
If Meranti was the second female, then I don't think so. He lived in sort of limbo until he was sent to Way Kambas in Sumatra. And yes, a younger female could well have spelled success for them. He mated a female after his return to Sumatra (Bina) but there was no pregnancy- probably she was too old as well as she's still at Way Kambas, but non-breeding.
They were very atypical for the species in the wild, but old photos of a Sumatran at London Zoo(now probably the one in Bristol museum) show similar long thick horns which are a product of insufficient wear in captivity.
The curious thing is that when Torgamba was returned to Sumatra, in photos his horns were again the regulation size and shape(just small points). I was never able to ascertain this but I think maybe his big long horns were cut off on arrival, as he would have been a very rich target for poachers otherwise.
