AI Elephant birth for Asia

[MARK]

Great news today regarding thailands and Asias first AI birth of a Asian elephant baby, its a boy who weighs in at a good 100kgs who is doing very well.

 

[patrick]

where? and whats with this stupid reliance on artificial insemination anyway?

soryy but did i miss something? after millions of years on the planet did elephants suddenly forgot how to %@#$?

 

[Monty]

AI is the way we will be able to keep relitivly small populations of animals like at zoos in Australia from becoming inbred after a few generations. It will mean our zoo populations will remain viable in the long term without the costly importations of new animals

 

[Coquinguy]

i also think its a good management tool...its not like were ver going to see zo-bred elephants reintroduced to the wild, i hope things never get that bad, but developing this technology in zoos for use on wild populations is a good thing, and a way of exchanging genes between the two populations (in-situ and ex-situ)...
in captivity though there should be an emphasis on natural breeding too, as this obviously rcquires the correct social context, a goal as many elephant keeeping zoos as possible should realise...

 

[Douanita]

I think he means a male calf born at the Thai National Elephant Institute.
This is their homepage.