I agree with you they should breed Dokkoon again lets face it Monarto zoo are going to need younger elephants at some point to get this herd started on a breeding coarse!
Australian Asian Elephant Population 2025
- Thread starter Zoofan15
- Start date
It would be worthwhile breeding Dokkoon again in my opinion when you consider she only has two surviving offspring to date and is a founder. As mentioned, it’s more or less a given that all three cows will be breeding again with the next few years, which will hopefully add more females to the numbers.
Num-Oi’s line contains only two cows (Dokkoon’s has three), so another female from Num-Oi would be optimal and assuming survival of both daughters, set her up well for succession of her line. A female from Mali would be beneficial in allowing her to continue her matriline (as per my previous post).
If there were a plan in place to have the 3 open range zoos breeding elephants would be the ideal situation with of coarse Sydney zoo doing its bit with two imported bulls. Australia zoo is a lost cause elephant wise even though they have the room for a breeding herd!
I feel this approach is better suited to the North American and European forums due to their larger population sizes and the high volume of births, deaths and transfers to keep track of.
Assuming no deaths, the extent of the 2025 population events will be three zoos phasing out (Melbourne, Taronga, Perth); a new holder emerging (Werribee); and a calf being born later this year (Dubbo). In terms of transfers, this represents the most eventful year in the history of this species in the region. It’s entirely possible there won’t be a single transfer, birth or death throughout 2026.
But there will surely news about how the elephants are doing post transfer etc. All that gets totally lost in the speculation because compared to the European and US elephant enthusiasts, you guys here are the kings of speculation. This thread is 10% news and discussion about the news and 90% speculation.
To be fair, this thread doesn’t claim to be a news thread. It serves as an all in one news, discussion and speculation thread for Australia’s elephant population and has run that way for five years now.
Each of the zoos holding elephants has a news thread and this is where news is posted. We all make an effort where possible not to speculate in the news threads (or have lengthy discussions); and as such move the conversation to the relevant population thread to continue it so as not to clog up the news threads.
My opinion is this thread for the most part serves to contain elephant discussion/speculation to a single thread, which benefits those disinterested in seeing multiple threads for a species clogging up the Australian forum.
The Sleepy Hippo
Well-Known Member
European and American enthusiasts sound rather dull...
That is a great documentary. How many parts would there be? They really do not talk about Luk Chai that much as of yet.
Jaiden
Well-Known Member
I am hoping at the end of all of the documentary that Zoo Victoria post I hope they reveal what will take over the old habitat at Melbourne Zoo
It will be a three part documentary:
Part 1 - Arrival of Luk Chai; death of Man Jai; birth of calves
Part 2 - Preparation for the move; construction of complex
Part 3 - The move to Werribee; settling in
That would be nice, but I understand the documentary will focus solely on the elephants as they haven’t otherwise shared this information via other channels.
Hopefully they might mention the future prospects they have for the herd in the future
I was wondering if they were planning on a bachelor herd since they already have the facilities. We will see.
Thanks. Yeah, they talked about Luk Chai but not much focus on him as they talked about Heman, Man Jai, and the calves and the exhibit. I was wondering like how they prepared Luk Chai for moving, working with him, etc.
I hope so. I attended a talk by Zoos Victoria last year and it was really interesting to hear more about their succession planning for the herd.
Werribee has what’s arguably the best elephant complex in the world and they have the largest integrated herd in the region, so it would surely be of interest to people to hear about plans to expand the herd.
All I know at this stage is they’ll be another cohort of calves sired by Luk Chai (with plans then reviewed on a five yearly cycle). A year to settle into the complex, followed by a 22 month gestation will ensure an influx of visitors as the novelty of the complex begins to wear off over the next three years.
Luk Chai featured more in the first episode; but the focus on Bong Su (one of Melbourne Zoo’s most iconic residents) illustrates the advances in welfare that will benefit his descendants. All of Melbourne’s elephants are managed in protected contact, so the training of Luk Chai would have been similar to that of the cows/calves in terms of positive reinforcement etc.
I went behind the scenes of Melbourne Zoo’s Trail of the Elephant complex in December 2023 and got to see Luk Chai’s moving crate amongst other things. It’s the only crate designed to accomodate a full grown bull elephant; with the cow/calf crates designed for mothers and calves; and Mek Kepah’s crate designed for use by either an adult female or an adolescent male. This same crate would have been used to transfer Man Jai (in conjunction with Luk Chai) had he not passed.
The Werribee complex features two paddocks which long term are planned to accomodate an adult bull in each. There will be a tree line to shield their line of sight to reduce stress; with their awareness of the presence of the other bull intended to be stimulating rather than threatening.
With that in mind, I don’t anticipate Werribee will hold a bachelor herd for any length of time. Luk Chai will remain on site after the birth of the next cohort of calves (possibly for life) and serve as a mentor to Roi-Yim, who will begin his transition out of the matriarchal herd around the age of 6-8 years.
For now, Luk Chai has the run of both bull paddocks, but I’d expect the other to accomodate first Roi-Yim (allowing for regular contact sessions with his father); and long term (a decade from now), the new breeding bull.
I know ZoosVic are way out in front with this herd and complex and appear to have all the bases covered but if they could only find a way to include a Perth bull breeding within the herd, As we know anything can happen at anytime as it did with Bong Su this bull is to valuable to lose and not to include his bloodline more than just the one living calf at Dubbo. Also both his calfs had been female!
So much hinges on his ability to sire calves naturally as if he’s able to successfully breed at Monarto (siring 2-3 calves over the next decade), he could then be loaned to Werribee Open Range Zoo, where’s he unrelated to all of their cows.
Otherwise, I hope consideration will be given to undertaking AI as a backup at Monarto. Pak Boon is an unrepresented founder and it would be a great shame to lose her from the breeding programme.
The alternative is that a son of Putra Mas and Pak Boon could one day be sent to Werribee - possibly for the third cohort of calves if one is born within the next five years.