Auckland Zoo Auckland Elephants to leave

Nisha said:
Kevin Buley: Heartbreaking decision for Auckland Zoo ushers in new beginning for elephants - NZ Herald A longer explanation of the challenges faced performing AI on Anjalee.
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We engaged the world's leading elephant reproductive experts from Germany's Leibniz Institute of Zoo and Wildlife Research and, in 2017, we began the first of five AI attempts.

For the first three of these AI attempts we had access to highly viable, freshly collected bull semen flown straight to the Zoo from our zoo colleagues in Australia. What we – and the German experts – did not know at the time, was that Anjalee's highly unusual and sensitive reproductive cycle would prevent any of these early attempts from succeeding.

By the time we had properly established her unusual hormone cycle and ovulation timings, the availability of fresh viable bull semen in the region had all but dried up, particularly following the death of Melbourne Zoo's prolific bull, Bong Su, who had previously sired a number of calves in the region via AI.

By late 2019 we were facing a situation where further AI attempts were not possible without a reliable source of donor semen within the critical 24-hour time period required to collect, transport and then inseminate a receptive Anjalee waiting in Auckland.
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It appears Bong Su was used in the first three attempts before his death in October 2017. Given a cow’s reproductive cycle is 13-18 weeks, the third of these attempts would have been done just prior to his death.

The subsequent attempts were apparently done with frozen/thawed semen (either collected from Bong Su prior to his death; or from another bull). Gung would have moved to Dubbo by that time, meaning fresh semen couldn’t have been flown out directly from Sydney Airport (a comparable transit time from Melbourne to Auckland Airport).
 
Zoofan15 said:
It appears Bong Su was used in the first three attempts before his death in October 2017. Given a cow’s reproductive cycle is 13-18 weeks, the third of these attempts would have been done just prior to his death.

The subsequent attempts were apparently done with frozen/thawed semen (either collected from Bong Su prior to his death; or from another bull). Gung would have moved to Dubbo by that time, meaning fresh semen couldn’t have been flown out directly from Sydney Airport (a comparable transit time from Melbourne to Auckland Airport).
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I personally would have loved to see another calf of Bong Su’s (preferably a female) born to Anjalee at Auckland. It’s a shame the attempts never worked out. :( Re. The last two attempts, I agree with you, it couldn’t have been Gung or Putra Mas (because of the distance), meaning it had to be frozen Semen collected from Bong Su before his death. Clearly, a decision had to be made in regards to Anjalee’s reproductive future; whether to continue with AI attempts, or export her to a Zoo with a viable bull, and they choose the latter.

Western Plains is the only theoretical option in Australia for them, but a name change might have to be considered for Burma, as Western Plains already has a ’Burma’.
 
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