Colchester Zoo Colchester zoo

MARK

Well-Known Member
I have been looking at the website of Colchester zoo trying to find whats happening with their African elephant breeding program but apart from just saying about the odd baby being born there does not seem to be much information about there herd, I assume they only have the one bull? what is there herd made up of like the number of cows and number of babies? :)
 
If you search the zoos site there is some info and news on the eles. Also i thought they had 4 females there(1 is apparently pregnant), 2 of them came from Chipperfields circus after the court case a few years ago.
 
Colchester Zoo Elephants

M Tembo (breeder)
M Kito (born 6/12/2002 - mother Tanya)
M Jambo (born 15/3/2004 - mother Rosa)
F Zola (stillborn calf 12/2003, pregnant due 2/2008 or 3/2008)
F Tanya (breeder - calf Kito)
F Rosa (breeder - calf Jambo, under treatment for vaginal scarring/uterine polyps, prognosis no longer able to breed)
F Opal (no breeding history)
 
So it looks like they only have one breeding female now

Mark,

Do not despair! Both Zola and Tanya are good breeders. I expect that Tanya will probably be impregnated soon after weaning of her calf Kito (born December 2002).

Take for instance the breeding record for Tierpark Berlin female Pori. She calved in Aprl 2001 and her next offspring arrived in May 2007. So, a breeding interval of 4-6 years is not uncommon for them.
 
I wouldn't be suprised if Tanya also gets pregnant soon!! Even though kito was born through AI...they may even thry that again.

Take for instance the breeding record for Tierpark Berlin female Pori. She calved in Aprl 2001 and her next offspring arrived in May 2007. So, a breeding interval of 4-6 years is not uncommon for them.
Pori did actually have a calf in 2005 but she killed the little bull almost as soon as it was born. But they can have gaps of 10 years between births
 
If you search the zoos site there is some info and news on the eles. Also i thought they had 4 females there(1 is apparently pregnant), 2 of them came from Chipperfields circus after the court case a few years ago.

Zola and Tanya are the two original Colchester females (I believe from memory) while Rosa and Opal came from Chipperfields, together with the bull 'Tembo'. He actually featured in the secret video which was filmed and helped convict them of cruelty.

He has one calf by AI at Colchester, another by AI in Vienna, a third by natural mating at Colchester and another expected....
 
Zola and Tanya are the two original Colchester females (I believe from memory) while Rosa and Opal came from Chipperfields, together with the bull 'Tembo'. He actually featured in the secret video which was filmed and helped convict them of cruelty.

He has one calf by AI at Colchester, another by AI in Vienna, a third by natural mating at Colchester and another expected....

I've seen that secret video of Tembo beinging beaten:mad::(

He is also has another AI calf born last year at Dresden.
 
I wonder where the two bull calves will go. The paddocks have been pretty barren for a while now, its a shame they don't extend them. The mixed African enclosure is pretty awful in my opinion, if only they'd give the whole area over to the elephants.
 
They can probably keep them for a few years yet. Maybe they'll go to a batchelor group at a Safari Park(like Chester's young males went to Belgium..)
 
I saw some pictures of that zoo in Belgium, it doesn't look like much space for them at all. The Spanish safari park where the Rotterdam-born males were sent on from Port Lympne looks amazing though.
 
Unfortunately, I feel many zoos have often offloaded their surplus animals without worrying too much about where they are going to live in the future.

In the past there has been a trend for surplus animals in UK zoos to go to Eastern Bloc countries where the zoo conditions are often quite primitive. Several hybrid Orangutans and surplus male Gorillas have in the past gone from the UK(sometimes from high profile zoos) to East European Zoos where they live in far poorer conditions, e.g. sometimes in regulation barred cages. Though the 'owner' zoo may initially check to see if conditions at their new home are suitable, later the animal(s) move on elsewhere to poorer conditions. By this time the original 'owner' zoo has lost any interest in their well being.

Now with surplus male Elephants, such as the two Chester calves, I think again the need to place them elsewhere is the chief priority- it then becomes a case of 'out of sight, out of mind' perhaps?
 
i love colchester zoo elephants - i know a bit abou the two young bulls kito will be moved in between december and febuary of this year - there are man yzoos who want young bulls as there is a shortage , jambo will stay at the zoo for a least for another zoo - they hope that opal will become pregant after zola gives birth then , tanya and then they will go back to zola , rosa cant have another baby
 
Unfortunately, I feel many zoos have often offloaded their surplus animals without worrying too much about where they are going to live in the future.
Now with surplus male Elephants, such as the two Chester calves, I think again the need to place them elsewhere is the chief priority- it then becomes a case of 'out of sight, out of mind' perhaps?

Ah well, maybe Noah's Ark Zoo Farm won't find it that hard to get elephants after all............
 
Ah well, maybe Noah's Ark Zoo Farm won't find it that hard to get elephants after all............

I do not consider Noah's Ark Zoo Farm a 100% conservation minded zoo. They are not a member of EAZA and I do not think EAZA is likely to accept them in the short term.

Secondly, the EEP Coordinator for Asian elephants will recommend where the young bulls will go to on transfer. So again, it is highly unlikely that they will accept Noah's Ark as a elephant holding facility.
 
I do not consider Noah's Ark Zoo Farm a 100% conservation minded zoo. They are not a member of EAZA and I do not think EAZA is likely to accept them in the short term.

Secondly, the EEP Coordinator for Asian elephants will recommend where the young bulls will go to on transfer. So again, it is highly unlikely that they will accept Noah's Ark as a elephant holding facility.

No, I wouldn't imagine that Noah's Ark will join EAZA in the short term, or be allocated any elephants through the EEP.
 
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