Ya Lu was mother-reared before one years old. He's mother, Sa Kuan was very responsible, she looked after Ya Lu day and night, never lay down to have a rest. She was too tired and breastfeeding cost too much nutrition, which made Sa Kuan ill. So Ya Lu was separated from his mother after his first birthday.
In fact, in Chinese zoos, most elephant calves will be separated from mother before two years old, multi-generational herd is very rare.
Thanks for your comments on elephant breeding at Jinan Zoo.
It is rather sad that animal management does not allow for the natural herd development to take shape. Young elephant calves should be weaned at 3-4 years and beyond stay with their mother till 8-12 years of age. The bulls will leave the herd and the female calves will form as you said a multigenerational herd. The latter a prime condition for F1 / F2 breeding and beyond.
If the female cannot cope nutrition-wise with breast-feeding, perhaps the lactating females are not given sufficient nutrition themselves in order to provide for good calving care. It is a shame that a female elephant with good mothering skills has her calves taken at such a young age.
Hopefully, future generations of Chinese zoo keepers, curators and managers will side the error of this mode of managing their herd(s).
