Chester Zoo Big news at Chester zoo 2007 #1

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I was told recently that Upali is currently being kept with Birma- presumably in an effort to maximise the chances of getting her pregnant as soon as possible. I think her integration with the other females is being put on hold until she's (hopefully) in calf.

Maybe Hornbill can verify if that's correct. Also Hornbill- if you have time have a look at Sithami- the 'teenage' mother. Maybe you can find out if she has taken over the care of her calf(sundara) more now that her own mother 'Thi' has a new calf of her own- or are they still sharing?. I'm also interested to know if Sithami is continuing to grow normally despite having had a calf at such an early age.....
 
Thi only was helping a lot at the very begining of Sundara's life. Showing Sithami what to do. Now Sundara's just a Cheeky little elephant and likes to Crawl inbetween the bars of Upali's enclosure, and run around in there, something that her cousin Po Chin has done before her!!!

I'd like to find out when there are more baby elephants on the way, I think that they're little cutie pies ( Grantsmb, My quote of the month!!!)
 
So will you find out which one is looking after Sundara the most now? Originally it was 60%(grandmother) and 40%(mother) You'll have to ask someone on the elephant section...

My guess is either Birma or Sithami will become the next mother- to- be but perhaps not yet..
 
Yes, I won't be going on that side of the zoo at all on wednesday, unless I'm on the Rhino section, then I'll be there all day. I will definatly be able to find out the answer on the member's summer school in August.
 
Upali is kept seperate, as he would live on his own in the wild. He is put with the females when one comes into season. Birma was with the female herd in May. She seemed to be intergrating sucessfully.
 
There are so many zoos now who keep adult males with the female herds permanently or during the day and it goes fantastic (Howletts, Emmen, Cologne, Hannover, Animal Park Berlin, Zurich, Amersfoort, Antwerp, just to name some!). The bull enclosure in Chester is very small if the pics I have seen show it correct, and I feel very sorry for Upali to be confined in such a small room all the time.
 
Just to remind you Yassa, Emmen kept it's previous and a little more dangerous bull Nan Thein seperate from the group. So i guess it's just a matter of how the bull reacts to being with females. Emmen's new bull is lot more laid back so it would all depend on Chester's bull caracter...
 
Upali is apparently very good tempered, and even interacts and plays with the babies of the heard.
 
After what I know Naing Thein in Emmen did not come along with the matriarch Annabelle and this was the reason why he was kept alone in the (awfully small) bull enclosure, and I would like to know if there is a reason like this in Chester too, with Upali not coming along with one of the older, dominant females.
 
Chester now has about three areas for Upali, until they get another bull. There is the onshow paddock, the inside bull area, and there is also an offshow paddock behind the elephant house.
 
Earlier this year Birma was spending all her time alongside Upali's enclosure. He did not seem to like it and kept well away from her. The elephant enclosure is on Zoolex, where the things Hornbill mentioned can be seen.
 
Does that mean Birma has not been in the same paddock with him yet?

Upali is still only a 'teenager' as far as elephant bulls go- maybe he still has some problems of rank as far as the older females are concerned, as even the new female Birma is probably ten years older than him- only Sithami and Sundara are younger.
 
I never knew that. Upali did not seem to be ready to mate, though things may be different now.
 
bongorob said:
I never knew that. Upali did not seem to be ready to mate, though things may be different now.
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Yes, as far as I know- though if an elephant keeper told you otherwise, I'd believe him rather than me. It was only quite recently I discovered Africans have it as well.

I guess the older females may still push 'Upali' around a bit- perhaps thats why he's segregated some of the time nowadays.
 
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