All the projections are well and good, just the retiring from the breeding program of some elephant cows as well as the long intervals they manage between individual births will not contribute establishing a stapel and sustainable Asiatic elephant population in Australian zoos (I no longer have to include New Zealand ... here as the last elephant will leave the territory not before long).
Australasian Asian Elephant Population 2024
- Thread starter Zoofan15
- Start date
Although Taronga Western Plains Zoo have continued to favour the long birth intervals; with Werribee on the horizon for the Melbourne herd, I’m hopeful of a happy medium of around five years. In any case the current plan is for the three cows (who are all cycling again) to conceive once settled into the new habitat, so potentially looking at births circa 2027. Werribee have a larger complex, with a capacity of up to 40 elephants; and while I doubt those numbers will ever be reached, a sizeable matriarchal herd will hopefully develop.
As it stands, it appears Pak Boon will be Monarto’s only breeding female. In that case, it wouldn’t surprise me to see her breed at natural birth intervals over the next decade.
Of the 14 calves born in Australian zoos:
1.1 have died of EEHV
2.1 have died of other causes
1.0 has been exported
4.4 have survived to date
The development of an EEHV vaccine (now in the trial stage) will give confidence any females born within the region will stand a good chance of surviving to reproductive age and contributing to succession in the herds.
Swanson02
Well-Known Member
Fantastic news!!!
I would have preferred it if Pathi Harn had sired the calf due to his greater genetic significance. However, it is still wonderful news
. Hopefully, Thong Dee is also pregnant and we will get a second pregnancy announcement in a few months.I believe Thong Dee should have one more calf. As we've seen with Pak Boon's calves, Num Oi's previous calves, and Man Jai, anything can happen! Sabai is still not out of the EEHV danger zone and we cannot guarantee that all 3 ZoosVic calves will survive to maturity (although unlikely).
So as far as I'm concerned only mature descendants (Luk Chai for Thong Dee) (Pathi Harn for Porntip) should count. Which IMO is grounds for Thong Dee to have one more calf.
The only other reason I see TWPZ stopping Thong Dee from having a third calf is spatial related. Things are already tight space-wise at TWPZ and another female calf would put them close to capacity with the matriarchal herd.
Fantastic news!!!
I would have preferred it if Pathi Harn had sired the calf due to his greater genetic significance. However, it is still wonderful news
I believe Thong Dee should have one more calf. As we've seen with Pak Boon's calves, Num Oi's previous calves, and Man Jai, anything can happen! Sabai is still not out of the EEHV danger zone and we cannot guarantee that all 3 ZoosVic calves will survive to maturity (although unlikely).
So as far as I'm concerned only mature descendants (Luk Chai for Thong Dee) (Pathi Harn for Porntip) should count. Which IMO is grounds for Thong Dee to have one more calf.
The only other reason I see TWPZ stopping Thong Dee from having a third calf is spatial related. Things are already tight space-wise at TWPZ and another female calf would put them close to capacity with the matriarchal herd.
It would have been great if Dubbo could have mirrored Melbourne Zoo in having a cohort of calves, one to each of the three mature cows. It’s had endless benefits to the culture of Melbourne’s herd, with all the cows having a shared purpose (Kulab dotes on Kati; as Num Oi did on Ongard in the 2010’s); and the calves benefit from the peer socialisation. In addition, bull calves learn reproductive behaviour (mounting) through observation, which they then practice on female peers.
An additional female calf would be ideal as although Dubbo have a limited capacity, separation paddocks will ultimately be the limiting factor. They currently have three bulls, which each require their own space for at least some of the time. A further bull calf would ultimately see all five paddocks filled unless on transfers out in the next decade. There’s also plans to build a larger barn to accomodate the matriarchal herd.
It is a shame regarding Pathi Harn. Long term, it wouldn’t surprise me to see him transfer to Monarto a decade and a half from now to sire calves to any daughters of Putra Mas and Pak Boon. Werribee are another option as he’s unrelated to every cow there bar Mali.
Fantastic news!!!
I would have preferred it if Pathi Harn had sired the calf due to his greater genetic significance. However, it is still wonderful news
I believe Thong Dee should have one more calf. As we've seen with Pak Boon's calves, Num Oi's previous calves, and Man Jai, anything can happen! Sabai is still not out of the EEHV danger zone and we cannot guarantee that all 3 ZoosVic calves will survive to maturity (although unlikely).
So as far as I'm concerned only mature descendants (Luk Chai for Thong Dee) (Pathi Harn for Porntip) should count. Which IMO is grounds for Thong Dee to have one more calf.
The only other reason I see TWPZ stopping Thong Dee from having a third calf is spatial related. Things are already tight space-wise at TWPZ and another female calf would put them close to capacity with the matriarchal herd.
I agree! I get the feeling the same person or like minded person is running both the white rhino and elephant breeding programs. Both have fantastic potential and both seem to be floundering.
Western plains zoo isnt as space critical as they were. They were planning on future breeding even with the acquisition of the two taronga cows. Now they are no longer on the horizon, it opens up at least two spaces and any spaces allotted for future breeding of Park Boon who has no living descendants and would rank higher then Thong Dee for breeding recommendations.
More broadly. How we care for elephants needs to be looked at, we seem to still be subscribed to keeping males in single paddocks. When multiple zoos overseas seem to be holding and keeping bulls together. How we house bulls should be looked at. Instead of keeping to seperate paddocks is a large paddock to mix bulls, with smaller separation paddocks when in musth or needing some time away a better plan. We are moving to open range zoos where space is far less limiting. In the wild bulls cohabitate quite a lot and are far more social then once thought. But we dont seem to really be looking at how to improve bull husbandry for both them and housing of surplus.
Great news I seen the update today!!
Are we sure Gung is the sire ? It was talking about her integration into the herd being no small feat. Of memory she had time with both bulls. When I read it I was wondering if they don't actually know because its worded in a very non descriptive way.
Fairly sure he is; there wouldn't be any need to mention him otherwise. If they weren't sure, Pathi Harn would have surely been mentioned as well as he too has spent time with Anjalee.
EDIT: It was actually confirmed on Auckland's socials too - she mated with Gung back in February.
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Gung confirmed as sire:
Gung was confirmed as the sire on Auckland Zoo’s socials:
18-year-old Anjalee was with us at Auckland Zoo for over 7 years before moving to Australia to join their herd in 2022. In February she was mated with Dubbo’s eldest bull elephant Gung (24) - and the rest is history!
That's written more specifically! It's good to see Gung being used again. He doesn't have many descendants left. And from the pictures I have seen he seems to be developing into quite a decent bull.
Anjalee is around six months pregnant is she conceived February 2024. The pregnancy has been announced early by Taronga if their previous announcements are anything to go by. There’s no reason to believe Anjalee has previously lost a pregnancy, with the perceived delay potentially attributed to her irregular cycles.
Thong Dee’s second pregnancy was announced May 2016. She gave birth November 2016; Porntip’s second pregnancy was announced April 2017. She gave birth June 2018.
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Anjalee is only six months pregnant - so due around December of next year, still a while away.
It's possible she previously lost a calf, but considering we didn't have an announcement it would've had to have been very early into her first trimester if so.
Especially following the passings of his other two offspring at Taronga a while back (Tukta and Jai Dee), I'd imagine there would still be a desire to breed from him despite the fact his eldest son is now breeding well down at Melbourne.
The article has "Our team over the next 14-months" That would put her at 8 months if we count a 22 month pregnancy. However they do mention December as her birthing period so one of them has to be a typo.
It's possible with her odd oestrus cycles that she had an early miss carriage. Or it makes it difficult to detect when she is actually pregnant. Id assume they would be watching for her cycles to begin again after breeding as first line indicators that she is pregnant.
The article has "Our team over the next 14-months" That would put her at 8 months if we count a 22 month pregnancy. However they do mention December as her birthing period so one of them has to be a typo.
It's possible with her odd oestrus cycles that she had an early miss carriage. Or it makes it difficult to detect when she is actually pregnant. Id assume they would be watching for her cycles to begin again after breeding as first line indicators that she is pregnant.
Late 2025 is about as confident as they’re willing to be in announcing a due date, which is fair enough considering the variation in gestation. Several cows in the region have delivered a month either side of their due date.
The irregular cycles would affect conceiving in that it makes it harder to pinpoint when she’s ovulating. This was clearly a factor when shipping semen from Melbourne to Auckland during AI attempts; but having a bull on hand at Dubbo at least helped mitigate that.
Article on Anjalee’s pregnancy/due date:
This article was released by the zoo last month, confirming gestation last month was approximately six months.
This places the due date at approx December 2025.
Dubbo Zoo Ele-brates Jumbo News
This article was released by the zoo last month, confirming gestation last month was approximately six months.
This places the due date at approx December 2025.
Dubbo Zoo Ele-brates Jumbo News
Melbourne Zoo Elephant Documentary
Trail for the upcoming documentary covering the transfer of Melbourne’s nine elephants to Werribee Open Range Zoo.
The overhead shots show the progress of the new barn, which looks phenomenal. It’ll allow the cows to give birth in the company of the entire herd, which will be of immense benefit to their welfare; and the social development of the young cows, as they learn through experience and observation.
Trail for the upcoming documentary covering the transfer of Melbourne’s nine elephants to Werribee Open Range Zoo.
The overhead shots show the progress of the new barn, which looks phenomenal. It’ll allow the cows to give birth in the company of the entire herd, which will be of immense benefit to their welfare; and the social development of the young cows, as they learn through experience and observation.
Auckland Zoo - Historical Photos
I thought people would be interested to see these historical photos of Auckland Zoo’s elephants:
Elephants at Auckland Zoo
The photos are primarily of Jamuna and Rajah; but there’s a number of good photos of the Elephant House (built 1923) and the elephant’s pool. The pool was purpose built for the elephants and located a short walk across from the Elephant House (the zone separating them was later named Jamuna Plaza in Jamuna’s memory). The elephants were walked across to the pool each afternoon.
0.1 Jamuna (Indian elephant)
Born in the wild (India) 00/00/1917
Arrived at Auckland Zoo 07/06/1923
Died at Auckland Zoo 02/09/1965
1.0 Rajah (Indian elephant)
Born in the wild (Myanmar) 00/00/1917
Arrived at Auckland Zoo 00/06/1930
Died at Auckland Zoo 09/03/1936
Auckland Zoo’s Elephant House was little better than Wellington’s; but a former Wellington keeper raised a good point via interview, that in those days, the elephant’s exhibit was the entire zoo. Similarly at Auckland, the elephants were walked around the zoo and explored both vacant exhibits and bush areas. This practice continued after the move to the current exhibit in 1992. I recall as a child in the 2000’s, seeing Kashin and Burma walked through the zoo; and seeing them explore Baboon Hill on one visit. Burma still undertakes walks with keepers to this day; albeit outside of visitor hours.
Auckland Zoo’s Elephant House (1923-1992):
I thought people would be interested to see these historical photos of Auckland Zoo’s elephants:
Elephants at Auckland Zoo
The photos are primarily of Jamuna and Rajah; but there’s a number of good photos of the Elephant House (built 1923) and the elephant’s pool. The pool was purpose built for the elephants and located a short walk across from the Elephant House (the zone separating them was later named Jamuna Plaza in Jamuna’s memory). The elephants were walked across to the pool each afternoon.
0.1 Jamuna (Indian elephant)
Born in the wild (India) 00/00/1917
Arrived at Auckland Zoo 07/06/1923
Died at Auckland Zoo 02/09/1965
1.0 Rajah (Indian elephant)
Born in the wild (Myanmar) 00/00/1917
Arrived at Auckland Zoo 00/06/1930
Died at Auckland Zoo 09/03/1936
Auckland Zoo’s Elephant House was little better than Wellington’s; but a former Wellington keeper raised a good point via interview, that in those days, the elephant’s exhibit was the entire zoo. Similarly at Auckland, the elephants were walked around the zoo and explored both vacant exhibits and bush areas. This practice continued after the move to the current exhibit in 1992. I recall as a child in the 2000’s, seeing Kashin and Burma walked through the zoo; and seeing them explore Baboon Hill on one visit. Burma still undertakes walks with keepers to this day; albeit outside of visitor hours.
Auckland Zoo’s Elephant House (1923-1992):
Attachments
Future Elephant Breeding
Beginning with the birth of Australasia’s first elephant calf (Luk Chai) at Taronga Zoo in 2009, three zoos in the region have welcomed Asian elephant calves:
Taronga Zoo (2009, 2010, 2010, 2017)
Melbourne Zoo (2010, 2010, 2013, 2013, 2016, 2022, 2022, 2023)
Taronga Western Plains Zoo (2016, 2018)
A further two zoos have tried unsuccessfully to breed Asian elephant:
Auckland Zoo
Perth Zoo
With Taronga Zoo, Melbourne Zoo, Perth Zoo and Auckland Zoo phasing out elephants; Sydney Zoo holding bachelor bulls; and no indication Australia Zoo will be importing a bull anytime soon; it’s likely all future calves will be born across three just facilities, which are of course Australia’s three open range zoos. I thought it’d be interesting to discuss what’s the most likely breeding outcomes based on the information we have to hand:
Werribee Open Range Zoo:
This is the herd I’m most exciting to follow over the years to come. The current plan is for the herd to adjust to the new habitat before breeding Dokkoon, Num-Oi and Mali with Luk Chai. The cows have been cycling again for around a year now; but assuming the settle in period is at least 12 months, then calves in the summer of 2028 isn’t an unrealistic assumption. This will be five years on from the previous cohort, which were all born within two months of each other. It should be noted this was a remarkable outcome, especially given all three were healthy calves (and two of them female); but no doubt one the zoo are hoping to replicate.
Werribee will have the biggest capacity of any elephant holder in the region (reported to be 40 elephants). While acknowledging this is theoretical and their capacity isn’t infinite, I’m optimistic we’ll at least see a compromise between breeding at natural birth intervals and the extreme of eight to ten year intervals. Five to six years appears to be this happy medium.
Monarto Safari Park:
Monarto will be the only elephant breeding facility with a single reproductively viable cow for the foreseeable. This of course is 32 year old Pak Boon. Pak Boon won’t be on site until mid-2025 and while bearing in mind it’s been seven years and counting since her last birth, it’s not unreasonable to assume a settling in period of at least a year will follow. Monarto will be undertaking a complex introduction of four cows from three herds and while Pak Boon is the obvious candidate for matriarch, a seamless integration is not a given. As per above, a calf on the ground by 2028 is the most optimistic we can be at this point.
On the plus side, Pak Boon stands the best chance out of any cow in the region of receiving breeding recommendations to breed at natural birth intervals. Aside from the impetus of her advancing age, she’s an unrepresented founder and the zoo’s bull (Putra Mas) is also a wild born founder, with only one surviving offspring to date. Again, optimistically, it wouldn’t surprise me to see a second calf follow on within 3-4 years; followed by a third and final calf when Pak Boon is in her early 40’s. If Pak Boon has 2-3 surviving offspring by this stage (ideally including at least one female), breeding may well cease in anticipation of continuing breeding via Pak Boon’s daughter/s.
Taronga Western Plains Zoo:
Anjalee is pregnant and all going well, will deliver a healthy calf in late 2025. A female would be ideal of course and in addition to establishing a second matrilineal line, provide Pathi Harn with a second unrelated cow as a future breeding partner.
The lengthy birth intervals established at Taronga seem set to continue at Dubbo; and it’s unclear at this stage whether Porntip and/or Thong Dee will breed again. It’d be no surprise to see Thong Dee retire due to her representation; but I was hopeful they’d have planned to breed Porntip again alongside Anjalee.
The zoo apparently plan for Kanlaya to deliver her first calf around 14 years (circa 2032). It wouldn’t surprise me to see a seven year birth interval between Anjalee’s first and second calf (2025-2032), with the latter perhaps planned to coincide with Kanlaya’s first birth. This of course would be subject to how quickly both cows conceive.
Beginning with the birth of Australasia’s first elephant calf (Luk Chai) at Taronga Zoo in 2009, three zoos in the region have welcomed Asian elephant calves:
Taronga Zoo (2009, 2010, 2010, 2017)
Melbourne Zoo (2010, 2010, 2013, 2013, 2016, 2022, 2022, 2023)
Taronga Western Plains Zoo (2016, 2018)
A further two zoos have tried unsuccessfully to breed Asian elephant:
Auckland Zoo
Perth Zoo
With Taronga Zoo, Melbourne Zoo, Perth Zoo and Auckland Zoo phasing out elephants; Sydney Zoo holding bachelor bulls; and no indication Australia Zoo will be importing a bull anytime soon; it’s likely all future calves will be born across three just facilities, which are of course Australia’s three open range zoos. I thought it’d be interesting to discuss what’s the most likely breeding outcomes based on the information we have to hand:
Werribee Open Range Zoo:
This is the herd I’m most exciting to follow over the years to come. The current plan is for the herd to adjust to the new habitat before breeding Dokkoon, Num-Oi and Mali with Luk Chai. The cows have been cycling again for around a year now; but assuming the settle in period is at least 12 months, then calves in the summer of 2028 isn’t an unrealistic assumption. This will be five years on from the previous cohort, which were all born within two months of each other. It should be noted this was a remarkable outcome, especially given all three were healthy calves (and two of them female); but no doubt one the zoo are hoping to replicate.
Werribee will have the biggest capacity of any elephant holder in the region (reported to be 40 elephants). While acknowledging this is theoretical and their capacity isn’t infinite, I’m optimistic we’ll at least see a compromise between breeding at natural birth intervals and the extreme of eight to ten year intervals. Five to six years appears to be this happy medium.
Monarto Safari Park:
Monarto will be the only elephant breeding facility with a single reproductively viable cow for the foreseeable. This of course is 32 year old Pak Boon. Pak Boon won’t be on site until mid-2025 and while bearing in mind it’s been seven years and counting since her last birth, it’s not unreasonable to assume a settling in period of at least a year will follow. Monarto will be undertaking a complex introduction of four cows from three herds and while Pak Boon is the obvious candidate for matriarch, a seamless integration is not a given. As per above, a calf on the ground by 2028 is the most optimistic we can be at this point.
On the plus side, Pak Boon stands the best chance out of any cow in the region of receiving breeding recommendations to breed at natural birth intervals. Aside from the impetus of her advancing age, she’s an unrepresented founder and the zoo’s bull (Putra Mas) is also a wild born founder, with only one surviving offspring to date. Again, optimistically, it wouldn’t surprise me to see a second calf follow on within 3-4 years; followed by a third and final calf when Pak Boon is in her early 40’s. If Pak Boon has 2-3 surviving offspring by this stage (ideally including at least one female), breeding may well cease in anticipation of continuing breeding via Pak Boon’s daughter/s.
Taronga Western Plains Zoo:
Anjalee is pregnant and all going well, will deliver a healthy calf in late 2025. A female would be ideal of course and in addition to establishing a second matrilineal line, provide Pathi Harn with a second unrelated cow as a future breeding partner.
The lengthy birth intervals established at Taronga seem set to continue at Dubbo; and it’s unclear at this stage whether Porntip and/or Thong Dee will breed again. It’d be no surprise to see Thong Dee retire due to her representation; but I was hopeful they’d have planned to breed Porntip again alongside Anjalee.
The zoo apparently plan for Kanlaya to deliver her first calf around 14 years (circa 2032). It wouldn’t surprise me to see a seven year birth interval between Anjalee’s first and second calf (2025-2032), with the latter perhaps planned to coincide with Kanlaya’s first birth. This of course would be subject to how quickly both cows conceive.
Elephants Updates (October 2024)
Auckland Zoo:
Burma’s export has been delayed until mid-November (originally scheduled for early November).
Monarto Safari Park:
The barn is nearing completion; but the paddocks still have a way to go. Burma may be on display by Christmas (tbc).
Video update of construction:
6.7K views · 68 reactions | SA-bound elephant celebrates 42nd birthday | Keepers at Auckland Zoo have created a 50kg cake for a very special girl, who next month will be headed to Monarto Safari Park. Download the 7NEWS app:... | By 7NEWS Adelaide | Facebook
Auckland Zoo:
Burma’s export has been delayed until mid-November (originally scheduled for early November).
Monarto Safari Park:
The barn is nearing completion; but the paddocks still have a way to go. Burma may be on display by Christmas (tbc).
Video update of construction:
6.7K views · 68 reactions | SA-bound elephant celebrates 42nd birthday | Keepers at Auckland Zoo have created a 50kg cake for a very special girl, who next month will be headed to Monarto Safari Park. Download the 7NEWS app:... | By 7NEWS Adelaide | Facebook
Burma’s export is scheduled for November 12:
Official announcement by Auckland Zoo:
Update: We can now confirm that Burma is scheduled to depart Auckland Zoo on Tuesday 12 November.
As this will be a complex undertaking and we are aiming to minimise disruption to ensure things go smoothly for Burma, there may be limited access for visitors to Burma’s habitat and the surrounding area on the day.
So, if you’re planning to visit her, you’ll need to do so before then. We’ll be making a further announcement on Wednesday 13 November once Burma has arrived safely, so watch this space.
Official announcement by Auckland Zoo:
Update: We can now confirm that Burma is scheduled to depart Auckland Zoo on Tuesday 12 November.
As this will be a complex undertaking and we are aiming to minimise disruption to ensure things go smoothly for Burma, there may be limited access for visitors to Burma’s habitat and the surrounding area on the day.
So, if you’re planning to visit her, you’ll need to do so before then. We’ll be making a further announcement on Wednesday 13 November once Burma has arrived safely, so watch this space.