Australian and ( NZ) Elephants news and discussion

Looking at the European Studbook for Asian Elephants these young bulls at Dublin come from a mixture of Sri Lankan and Indian subspecies via their father's line. Just thought it was an interesting point to raise:

Kavi and Ashoka (2014) > Upali (1994) > Maxi (1969 Wild in Thailand)
Kavi and Ashoka (2014) > Upali (1994) > Ceyla Himali (1975 Wild in Sri Lanka)
 
WhistlingKite24 said:
Looking at the European Studbook for Asian Elephants these young bulls at Dublin come from a mixture of Sri Lankan and Indian subspecies via their father's line. Just thought it was an interesting point to raise:

Kavi and Ashoka (2014) > Upali (1994) > Maxi (1969 Wild in Thailand)
Kavi and Ashoka (2014) > Upali (1994) > Ceyla Himali (1975 Wild in Sri Lanka)
Click to expand...

It wouldn’t really matter re. breeding.

Mali, Pathi Harn and Man Jai are all half Malaysian, half Thai (because of Bong Su), and Kanlaya is the same (because of Putra Mas).

But it’s still interesting to see where these boy’s bloodlines come from. :)
 
WhistlingKite24 said:
Looking at the European Studbook for Asian Elephants these young bulls at Dublin come from a mixture of Sri Lankan and Indian subspecies via their father's line. Just thought it was an interesting point to raise:

Kavi and Ashoka (2014) > Upali (1994) > Maxi (1969 Wild in Thailand)
Kavi and Ashoka (2014) > Upali (1994) > Ceyla Himali (1975 Wild in Sri Lanka)
Click to expand...

Jambo said:
It wouldn’t really matter re. breeding.

Mali, Pathi Harn and Man Jai are all half Malaysian, half Thai (because of Bong Su), and Kanlaya is the same (because of Putra Mas).

But it’s still interesting to see where these boy’s bloodlines come from. :)
Click to expand...

The Australasian Asian elephant population will certainly become an interesting melting pot of the various subspecies; especially if Australia Zoo acquire Sumatran bulls; and if the Sri Lankan cow at Auckland, Anjalee, conceives through AI to one of the bulls in the region. It's kind of a moot point as at this stage, since the Asian elephant is managed on the species level; but could have implications down the line if there was ever the desire to coordinate breeding programmes at subspecies level.
 
Zoofan15 said:
The Australasian Asian elephant population will certainly become an interesting melting pot of the various subspecies; especially if Australia Zoo acquire Sumatran bulls; and if the Sri Lankan cow at Auckland, Anjalee, conceives through AI to one of the bulls in the region. It's kind of a moot point as at this stage, since the Asian elephant is managed on the species level; but could have implications down the line if there was ever the desire to coordinate breeding programmes at subspecies level.
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Has Australia Zoo shown interest in doing AI on their cows with sperm from eg. Putra Mas?
 
Jambo said:
Has Australia Zoo shown interest in doing AI on their cows with sperm from eg. Putra Mas?
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No, last I heard the plan is to acquire two purebred Sumatran bulls from Indonesia. Assuming they are unrelated (to each other and the cows), this would give them the basis for a self sustaining reproductive herd for decades; without the need of input from other zoos.
 
For anyone who’s been caught behind on where each elephant is in the region, or if they are unsure of which elephant’s are still around or not, here is a list of every Elephant in the Australasian Region:

Current Elephants in the Australasian Region:

Perth Zoo:
Putra Mas (M) Born 00/00/1989 wild
Tricia (F) Born 00/00/1957 Singapore
Permai (F) Born 00/00/1989 wild

Australia Zoo:
Christina (F)
Megawati (F)
Raflessia (F)
Widya (F)

Sydney Zoo:
Saigon (F) Born 00/00/1958 wild

Melbourne Zoo:
Mek Kapah (F) Born 00/00/1973 wild
Dokkoon (F) Born 00/00/1993 wild
Kulab (F) Born 00/00/2000 wild
Num-Oi (F) Born 00/00/2001 wild
Mali (F) Born 16/01/2010 Bong Su x Dokkoon
Man Jai (M) Born 08/12/2013 Bong Su x Dokkon

Taronga Western Plains Zoo:
Burma (F) Born 00/00/1957 wild
Porntip (F) Born 00/00/1992 wild
Thong Dee (F) Born 00/00/1997 wild
Gung (M) Born 00/00/2000 wild
Luk Chai (M) Born 04/07/2009 Gung x Thong Dee
Pathi Harn (M) Born 10/03/2010 Bong Su x Porntip
Sabai (M) Born 02/11/2016 Gung x Thong Dee
Kanlaya (F) Born 14/06/2018 Putra Mas x Porntip

Taronga Zoo:
Pak Boon (F) Born 00/00/1992 wild
Tang Mo (F) Born 00/00/1999 wild

Auckland Zoo:

Burma (F) Born 00/00/1982
Anjalee (F) Born 23/08/2006 Jayathu x Mayuri (Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, Sri Lanka)

Notes:

It appears Sydney Zoo are in the process of importing two young bulls, most likely Kavi (2014) and Ashoka (2014), from the Dublin Zoo.

There are currently no pregnancies in the region.

Also does anyone know the birthdates of Australia Zoo’s four female Sumatran Elephants?
 
Jambo said:
Also does anyone know the birthdates of Australia Zoo’s four female Sumatran Elephants?
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Their ages were given at the end of last year as: Megawati (20 years), Widya (18 years), Christina (9 years) and Raflesia (5 years); so if we were to say:

0.1 Megawati (1999)
0.1 Widya (2001)
0.1 Christina (2010)
0.1 Raflesia (2014)

We wouldn't be far off.

I've emailed the zoo, but won't hold my breath on a reply. :p
 
Age Distribution of Female Asian Elephants in Australasian Zoos

I've created an age distribution graph of the 20 female Asian elephants in Australasian zoos. I have only compared females, as age does not have a significant impact on male fertility. As the graph shows, we have a youthful female population, with 70% of the population under 30 years of age.

Female Asian Elephants in Australasian Zoos

Female Asian Elephants in Australasian Zoos

Created by @Zoofan15 21/10/2020.

There are 14 cows of reproductive age:

-Six are reproductively viable (Porntip, Pak Boon, Dokoon, Thong Dee, Kulab and Num-Oi)

-Two are not reproductively viable (Burma and Permai)

-One is likely not (Tang Mo)

-Five are of unknown status (Megawati, Widya, Christina, Anjalee and Mali)

There are also two cows of pre-reproductive age (Raflesia and Kanlaya).

The female population is currently in excellent shape, though the birth of more female calves will ensure it does not develop into an aging female population as the cohorts aged between 10-20 and 20-30 age accordingly.
 
Jambo said:
@Yoshistar888 this is actually Num-Oi, not Mali. Num-Oi is identifiable by her bald head. :cool:
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@Yoshistar888 @Jambo According to Melbourne Zoo you can also identify Num-Oi by her body shape (from the zoo's website): "You can pick Num-Oi apart from the other elephants in the herd by her distended stomach which is a result of her diet before arriving at Melbourne Zoo from Thailand."
 
Zoofan15 said:
@Yoshistar888 @Jambo According to Melbourne Zoo you can also identify Num-Oi by her body shape (from the zoo's website): "You can pick Num-Oi apart from the other elephants in the herd by her distended stomach which is a result of her diet before arriving at Melbourne Zoo from Thailand."
Click to expand...

Oh, that might be why I thought Num-Oi was pregnant! That’s really interesting to know @Zoofan15. :)
 
@Yoshistar888, here is a photo of Mali:

images


She has a much more hairier head and pigmentation on the side of her ears (something she shares with her mum). She is quite a dark elephant compared to the others; probably something she got from Bong Su.


In this image, Mali is on the far left, followed by Dokkoon, Kulab and Man Jai (left to right).

images
 
Jambo said:
As reported by @dublinlion and @WhistlingKite24 in the Dublin Zoo news and Sydney Zoo news threads, it appears Dublin are preparing to export two young bulls to Sydney Zoo. The young bulls are most likely Kavi and Ashoka, half-brothers born in 2014.
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I have some concerns regarding the expected two new import bulls into Sydney zoo, While I do welcome any new imported bloodline into the regions breeding program I believe this should be only into the larger zoos with a lot of land area with multiple yards and barns, like the Western plains zoo, or the planned 50 acre elephant exhibit at Werribee zoo and even Australia zoo which has heaps of room, My main concern with the Sydney zoo its exhibit area to my mind is not large enough for two growing young bull elephants, I believe the area was enlarged from the first planned idea and made larger but really I feel with two growing bulls it could lead to some problems, who is to say they could be compatible in close quarters?, also if they are not compatible what happens to old Saigon with limited yards? what are the options going to be dealing with any issues if the boys dont get along and are testing each other for dominance, I hope and wish all goes well for them!
 
Zorro said:
I have some concerns regarding the expected two new import bulls into Sydney zoo, While I do welcome any new imported bloodline into the regions breeding program I believe this should be only into the larger zoos with a lot of land area with multiple yards and barns, like the Western plains zoo, or the planned 50 acre elephant exhibit at Werribee zoo and even Australia zoo which has heaps of room, My main concern with the Sydney zoo its exhibit area to my mind is not large enough for two growing young bull elephants, I believe the area was enlarged from the first planned idea and made larger but really I feel with two growing bulls it could lead to some problems, who is to say they could be compatible in close quarters?, also if they are not compatible what happens to old Saigon with limited yards? what are the options going to be dealing with any issues if the boys dont get along and are testing each other for dominance, I hope and wish all goes well for them!
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I agree it feels like we're going backwards with elephant keeping in that a newly established city zoo is acquiring elephants. Auckland, Melbourne and Perth Zoo have each kept elephants for close to a century and two of these facilities have committed to phasing them out.

Given the age of the bulls, they should be able to coexist for several years without issue, though this isn't a given as you say. In a best case scenario, I imagine they anticipate them living together amicably into early adulthood, by which time Saigon would have passed. If any issues arise before then, it could be an option to relocate Saigon to a retirement facility; though given her age, this would should be a last resort.
 
Zorro said:
I have some concerns regarding the expected two new import bulls into Sydney zoo, While I do welcome any new imported bloodline into the regions breeding program I believe this should be only into the larger zoos with a lot of land area with multiple yards and barns, like the Western plains zoo, or the planned 50 acre elephant exhibit at Werribee zoo and even Australia zoo which has heaps of room, My main concern with the Sydney zoo its exhibit area to my mind is not large enough for two growing young bull elephants, I believe the area was enlarged from the first planned idea and made larger but really I feel with two growing bulls it could lead to some problems, who is to say they could be compatible in close quarters?, also if they are not compatible what happens to old Saigon with limited yards? what are the options going to be dealing with any issues if the boys dont get along and are testing each other for dominance, I hope and wish all goes well for them!
Click to expand...

At the moment, there shouldn’t be a problem. By the time they get bigger, Saigon will be in her last few years (as she’s about 62). But you’re right, if Saigon’s still alive then; they will either need some more space, or will have to export one of them.

TWPZ is suitable as is WORZ (but mind you, WORZ won’t be available for at least another 7 years). Saigon’s best interests will be at heart, and a move will be risky with such an elderly elephant like her; so it would have to be one of the young males I think.
 
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Zoofan15 said:
No, last I heard the plan is to acquire two purebred Sumatran bulls from Indonesia.
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And yet logic would have dictated that they do this at the same time as importing their breeding age females. I can't help but feel Australia Zoo are pulling a move from Auckland Zoos playbook here.
 
toothlessjaws said:
And yet logic would have dictated that they do this at the same time as importing their breeding age females. I can't help but feel Australia Zoo are pulling a move from Auckland Zoos playbook here.
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It may of been a money thing they would of paid an arm and a leg for them
 
toothlessjaws said:
And yet logic would have dictated that they do this at the same time as importing their breeding age females. I can't help but feel Australia Zoo are pulling a move from Auckland Zoos playbook here.
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Auckland Zoo’s import of Anjalee was taxpayer funded. They were under significant pressure to justify the reason for importing her and a breeding programme was one of those reasons.

Australia Zoo’s import (and planned second import of the bulls) are off their own bat. They have no reason to make up stories of breeding programmes.
 
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