Swanson02
Well-Known Member
I'm most likely heading to Dubbo and altina myself mid-late feb
Australian Asian Elephant Population 2025
- Thread starter Zoofan15
- Start date
Thanks for letting us know @Swanson02.
I have a few elephant questions (I also have other Dubbo questions, but I’ll PM you these to avoid de-railing the thread):
If you could please ask:
What are the future breeding plans (if any) for Porntip and Thong Dee?
How much time Sabai spends with Pathi Harn?
Any updates on plans to build expanded barn (timeframe etc)?
Pak Boon and Tang Mo transferring to Monarto Safari Park in March 2025:
From socials:
Our mammoth move of Asian Elephants Tang Mo and Pak Boon to Monarto Safari Park is set for late March 2025.
Our dedicated Elephant Keepers have been hard at work training and conditioning Tang Mo and Pak Boon ahead of the big move. With the help of some positive words of encouragement, some favourtite food items, and the choice to enter, exit, and test the transport crates and their seatbelts, our Ele girls have been taking it in their strides.
In the coming months, we will ensure the community has the opportunity to celebrate Tang Mo and Pak Boon, thank the dedicated keepers and reminisce on memories with Taronga Zoo Sydney’s rich elephant history.
From socials:
Our mammoth move of Asian Elephants Tang Mo and Pak Boon to Monarto Safari Park is set for late March 2025.
Our dedicated Elephant Keepers have been hard at work training and conditioning Tang Mo and Pak Boon ahead of the big move. With the help of some positive words of encouragement, some favourtite food items, and the choice to enter, exit, and test the transport crates and their seatbelts, our Ele girls have been taking it in their strides.
In the coming months, we will ensure the community has the opportunity to celebrate Tang Mo and Pak Boon, thank the dedicated keepers and reminisce on memories with Taronga Zoo Sydney’s rich elephant history.
ramsayi
Well-Known Member
would it be likley they be doing Quarantine at Monarto zoo like Burma did , or will they likley not need to as they are comming from another aus zoo?
Quarantine for the elephants would still be required.
When rhinoceros were transferred inter-state from Australia Zoo to Monarto Safari Park; and more recently from Monarto Safari Park to Taronga Western Plains Zoo, this was noted to be a month long.
With these two arriving in late March and Permai arriving later this month, Monarto is set for a very exciting and eventful next few months in the elephant department.
It's also nice to hear Taronga's supposedly brought this move forward. These cows will surely get more benefit being around other cows eventually and also getting run of this new and innovative complex that's far larger than Taronga's.
Since the original plan was for Permai to arrive in May and the Taronga females in June/July, it appears the change to Permai arriving in January and the Taronga females in March is around allowing 1-2 months between their arrivals (for quarantine reasons); with Permai being prioritised to arrive first.
Aside from the fact the Taronga cows will have the advantage of being a bonded pair versus two outsider cows, Permai is living alone and will benefit from the companionship of her kind more urgently than the others.
Clearly crate training has gone to plan with the elephants exceeding all expectations.
Exciting times indeed! Zoos SA are great at communicating with the public, so I anticipate we’ll be throughout briefed on the progress of intros - a complex but exciting process that’s unprecedented on this scale within the region.
Monarto Update
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national...n-side-as-burma-adjusts-to-australian-habitat
Auckland keepers accept permanent positions:
Some exciting news that Auckland Zoo keepers Andrew Coers (Team Leader), Corryn Coers (Senior Keeper) and Odin Neil (Senior Keeper) have accepted permanent positions at Monarto Safari Park. All three have extensive experience working with elephants and Andrew especially has been instrumental in contributing to the design of Monarto’s custom made elephant complex. Monarto is very lucky to have these three keepers come onboard!
Andrew is optimistic the introductions will go well:
He was confident Burma would get on with her new companions within a few days or at the most, a few weeks.
Details on complex:
Burma will soon have an extended barn to share with the other elephants for night quarters as well as yards and another four habitats which will be much more spacious than what she was used to in Auckland.
Once the new living quarters were finished, there would be bathing spaces as well as trees with pulleys for high feeding, he said.
The area has a walking track around it that visitors can use to get a good view for observing the elephants.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national...n-side-as-burma-adjusts-to-australian-habitat
Auckland keepers accept permanent positions:
Some exciting news that Auckland Zoo keepers Andrew Coers (Team Leader), Corryn Coers (Senior Keeper) and Odin Neil (Senior Keeper) have accepted permanent positions at Monarto Safari Park. All three have extensive experience working with elephants and Andrew especially has been instrumental in contributing to the design of Monarto’s custom made elephant complex. Monarto is very lucky to have these three keepers come onboard!
Andrew is optimistic the introductions will go well:
He was confident Burma would get on with her new companions within a few days or at the most, a few weeks.
Details on complex:
Burma will soon have an extended barn to share with the other elephants for night quarters as well as yards and another four habitats which will be much more spacious than what she was used to in Auckland.
Once the new living quarters were finished, there would be bathing spaces as well as trees with pulleys for high feeding, he said.
The area has a walking track around it that visitors can use to get a good view for observing the elephants.
Thank you for this really interesting thread.
The reproductive histories of the Monarto herd are as follows:
1.0 Putra Mas (1989):
0.1 Willow (2016-2016) by Num-Oi
0.1 Kanlaya (2018) by Porntip
0.1 Burma (1982):
No offspring
0.1 Permai (1989):
No offspring
0.1 Pak Boon (1992):
0.1 Tukta (2010-2018) by Gung
1.0 Jai Dee (2017-2020) by Gung
0.1 Tang Mo (1999):
No offspring
———————————————
It’s advisable to breed from cows for the first time by their early 20’s; and to not have lengthy birth intervals, so Pak Boon would be considered Monarto’s only viable breeding cow (albeit noting time is of the essence to breed given she last gave birth eight years ago).
There were previously attempts to breed with the other three cows at their respective zoos, but unfortunately without success.
Swanson02
Well-Known Member
What is the oldest age a cow has conceived for the first time in a zoo?
Imo Monarto should try Putra Mas with all 4 cows, it's unlikely that 3 of them will fall pregnant but may aswell try. If it's of no extreme harm, in some ways it's a form of social enrichment as a natural behaviour too.
I'll ask about this and other things when I visited on the 30th
I'm doing the combined 2 hour black and white rhino keeper experience so most my questions will be directed towards them
I hope you enjoy the behind the scenes experience and of course, any information you can find out regarding elephant breeding would be appreciated. I’d be particularly interested to know (assuming the plan is to breed from Putra Mas and Pak Boon), whether they’d consider breeding from them via AI if natural didn’t work (due to the uncertainty around Putra Mas breeding naturally).
Studies have determined fertility in captive female elephants decreases after the age of 50, with some cows theoretically able to breed into their 60’s.
However, to answer your question, cows who have long intervals following a birth (e.g. 10 years plus) are less likely to conceive due to scarring on the reproductive system caused by ovulation cycles. This is the reason it’s preferable to breed from cows (which can begin cycling as young as four years old) before they reach their early 20’s. In Burma and Permai’s case, they’re 42 and 35 years old and have never bred, so would be considered non-viable breeders. Combined with the fact that first time births in elephants have a high mortality rate, it would not be advisable to subject a geriatric animal to this process from a welfare perspective. There’d be a reasonable chance they could lose both mother and calf.
Tang Mo is younger at 25 years, but when when I visited in November, her keeper told me the Berlin team had carried out investigations and deemed her non-viable for breeding.
With the above in mind, Pak Boon is the only realistic hope amongst the cows for establishing a breeding herd at Monarto.
Great question and very clear informative answer. Thank you
Thank you clear and very quick answer
Yes very lucky to have such dedicated and knowledgeable permanent additions to the team at MSP
You’re welcome. It was very exciting to hear about Monarto coming onboard. There was a lot of uncertainty prior to this on where Burma, Permai and Putra Mas would go as the Dubbo facility hasn’t got the capacity if you factor in continued breeding. Even Zoos Victoria have referred to the ability to manage two bull elephants separately, with the other paddocks dedicated to the cows. Inevitably, they will have to accomodate Roi-Yim and future male calves.
Retaining Putra Mas in the region (as opposed to exporting him to the US etc) is of immense benefit to the region and I hope if natural breeding with Pak Boon is not successful, there’s an intention to do AI. I had hoped that he and Pak Boon would be able to have 2-3 calves over the next decade, with a new bull (such as Pathi Harn) then brought in to mate with their daughters.
If Putra Mas is a natural breeder, Werribee would be my preference for him to go from there given he’s unrelated to all three of their viable cows (and their daughters).
Regional Updates
——————
Zoos Victoria:
Following the death of Man Jai, the zoo have widened the age group they regularly test for EEHV.
A dedicated lab at Werribee will see test results returned within six hours.
Mek Kepah is participating as a plasma donor, with her plasma stored for future use, should it be needed for plasma infusions to fight EEHV at Werribee or other Australian zoos.
Melbourne’s elephants test for deadly disease before big move to Werribee - ABC News
——————
Perth Zoo:
Putra Mas is now in musth.
Permai will depart for Monarto in the coming days, once weather conditions are ideal (Perth is coming out of a heatwave).
https://www.9news.com.au/videos/nat...journey-to-new-home/cm69n53hy000a0hrobtcygaty
——————
——————
Zoos Victoria:
Following the death of Man Jai, the zoo have widened the age group they regularly test for EEHV.
A dedicated lab at Werribee will see test results returned within six hours.
Mek Kepah is participating as a plasma donor, with her plasma stored for future use, should it be needed for plasma infusions to fight EEHV at Werribee or other Australian zoos.
Melbourne’s elephants test for deadly disease before big move to Werribee - ABC News
——————
Perth Zoo:
Putra Mas is now in musth.
Permai will depart for Monarto in the coming days, once weather conditions are ideal (Perth is coming out of a heatwave).
https://www.9news.com.au/videos/nat...journey-to-new-home/cm69n53hy000a0hrobtcygaty
——————
I wonder how he will go with crate training and musth. It's rather unfortunate that is occurring during when they wanted to move him but by now surely he is cycling regularly and the zoo would have some sort of idea when musth will happen.
Putra Mas (1989) is a mature bull and has an annual (and therefore predictable) musth cycle at this time of year every year. Handling protocols are adapted, with one of the changes being that his male keepers don’t work with him during this time.
Last I heard, he was progressing well with crate training; though it has now ceased while he’s in musth and will resume again circa May 2025.