Are there any Borneo elephants in zoos and is it a "real" subspecies?

[DavidBrown]

I have questions for the zoo elephanatics out there.

Are there any elephants from Borneo represented in any zoos outside of Indonesia?

Does anyone know what the current status of the debate is on whether the elephants are native to the island or the result of human introduction? There was a genetics paper that estimated the elephants were native and had been there for 300,000 years, but this has been refuted by others. I'm curious if there is a consensus view on whether these elephants are native to Borneo or not.

 

[Kifaru Bwana]

I have questions for the zoo elephanatics out there.

Are there any elephants from Borneo represented in any zoos outside of Indonesia?

Does anyone know what the current status of the debate is on whether the elephants are native to the island or the result of human introduction? There was a genetics paper that estimated the elephants were native and had been there for 300,000 years, but this has been refuted by others. I'm curious if there is a consensus view on whether these elephants are native to Borneo or not.

In effect the elephants range in both Malaysia and Indonesia.
In the new Bornean wildlife park in Malaysia they hold a breeding group of Borneans.

The scientific debate is still raging as we speak. However, modern-day Malayan tapirs did also occur on Kalimantan in the past. Hence, my personal view is that an island population of Borneans having evolved into a separate ssp. is quite a viable scientific reality. As yet though: conjecture unless soundly proven.

 

[Dallaspachyderm]

4.7 Pygmy elephants at the Sabah zoological park
0.1 Pygmy elephant Chandra at the Portland zoo
0.2 Pygmy elephants at the Hannover zoo

 

[DavidBrown]

@Kifaru Bwana: thanks for your thoughts on the subspecies debate. It's too bad that there is no fossil record to help clear up the question. Perhaps more genetics work would help.

@Dallaspachyderm: thanks for the data!

 

[Yassa]

The 0.2 elephants in Hannover have bred with a bull from Sri Lanka in 2003 and another bull from the mainland subspecies in 2010 - the result are 3.2 calves of mixed origins.

I totally believe that the Borneo elephants are a seperate subspecies (at least!), they look totally different from mainland, sumatran or Sri Lankan elephants. Much smaller, very long tail and very distinctive ears and face.

 

[jbnbsn99]

I talked with a well known elephant expert a while back and he mentioned that he thought it was only a matter of time before they were elevated to full species level.

 

[DavidBrown]

I talked with a well known elephant expert a while back and he mentioned that he thought it was only a matter of time before they were elevated to full species level.

Wow, that would be a huge shift in Asian elephant taxonomy. Would the full species diagnosis be based primarily on genetics, or morphology also?

 

[snowleopard]

The female Chendra at Oregon Zoo:

http://www.zoochat.com/594/oregon-zoo-asian-elephant-43858/

 

[jbnbsn99]

Wow, that would be a huge shift in Asian elephant taxonomy. Would the full species diagnosis be based primarily on genetics, or morphology also?

I am not sure honestly, just going on what he told me.

 

[Kifaru Bwana]

I would say the same (evolutionary distinct species) over elephants from Sumat(e)ra.

 

[Chlidonias]

the most likely theory on the Bornean elephants (in my opinion), given the complete lack of fossil or historical evidence and their restricted distribution on the island, is that they descend from introductions from Java (where they are now extinct). If you Google "Bornean elephants Java" or a similar word combination you can find various articles about it.