Elephant breeding age, raised?

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gorgeousingray

Well-Known Member
I don't know if I am the only one who noticed. But it seems to me the maximum breeding age for first time mother elephants has been raised beyond 24....
-Gina, a 29 year old African elephant at the Memphis zoo is expecting her first calf in August 2012 (when she'll be 30).
-Star, a 29 year old African elephant at the Montgomery zoo gave birth to a still born male calf this year. Meaning she would have been bred for the first time at 27.

Also, I'm hearing the Jacksonville zoo plans to Artificially inseminate their cows in a last ditch effort to breed them with Ali (their bull)

Has the SSP/TAG raised the breeding age in an attempt to get more animals represented into the population?

Thoughts? Comments? Concerns?
 
Late first pregnancies have happened (not sure about years, will try to check) but are known to be dangerous for the survival of the cow and calf. It is a difficult question if it is ethical to put the life of an older cow at risk with AI in the desperate attempt to produce a calf. I am not judging as I don't have enough information but I believe it is a considerable risk with a high potential of failure.
 
The problem is with first time mothers beyond their early twenties.
Once they breed, zoo elephants also can breed successfully into relatively high ages.
 
Right. Right. The conception of the first born calf to a female elephant is suggested to occur by 24.

I feel with the new exhibits and pre-natal care, these births could be successful. I know that the specialists from an institute in Germany do the majority of the AI's in North America. They actually labeled Bette (then 27) and Kallie (then 28) not fit for breeding. So I would assume they evaluate the reproductive status of all females.
 
This is contrary to what I hear both in the wild and in captivity.
So to explain, in African Elephants in the wild it has been seen that they are having calves earlier - normal first calf age between 1900 and 1960's was about 14 years but with the increase in poaching and the decline of the population research since the 70's has shown that wild elephants have been having their first calves as early as 7 or 8 years old, this and the almost natural selection now of males with smaller tusks by the females is a direct consequence of poaching and a surprisingly short term effect on natural selection, it has always been thought that effects on natural selection whether environmental or artificial would take much longer to manifest - but in reality it appears that they are already showing in the African Elephant population.

So in answer to your question - over 20 is late for an elephant to calve for the first time both in the wild and in captivity - but it shouldn't be a cause for alarm if the animal is healthy and there are no issues, like humans they are fertile for a reletively long time and although their gestation period is long they can have many calves over a life time if the conditions are right.
 
karoocheetah said:
So to explain, in African Elephants in the wild it has been seen that they are having calves earlier - normal first calf age between 1900 and 1960's was about 14 years but with the increase in poaching and the decline of the population research since the 70's
Click to expand...

I'm a little confused about the statement "decline of population research since the 70s". There is more population research going on now than there ever has been. You may well be right about age of first reproduction. The entire social structure of many of these populations has been completely messed up too because the matriarchs have been eliminated.
 
karoocheetah said:
So in answer to your question - over 20 is late for an elephant to calve for the first time both in the wild and in captivity - but it shouldn't be a cause for alarm if the animal is healthy and there are no issues, like humans they are fertile for a reletively long time and although their gestation period is long they can have many calves over a life time if the conditions are right.
Click to expand...

The early twenties were identified as kind of a cut off point for first time pregnancies because significant problems were documented if first time pregnancies occurred at a later age. Therefore the risks are well known and it is a gamble with the health of the animals.
 
gorgeousingray said:
I don't know if I am the only one who noticed. But it seems to me the maximum breeding age for first time mother elephants has been raised beyond 24....
Click to expand...

Yes, it was established that healthy cow should have first calf before ca 24 years of age, otherwise there develop problems with infertility, risk at birth or risk of calf death. Already cows which are kept with no access to the breeding bull until 15, often fail to become regular breeders. But this is statistics, which zoos should incorporate in their breeding plans. There are many examples of first-time successful births later.

But if healthy cow over 24 is in the breeding herd, it would be difficult and unnatural to separate her only to prevent pregnancy.

Also, from animal welfare standpoint, there is no absolute answer what is better: risk the pregnancy or deny the cow the important experience of raising a calf. In humans, this is individual decision of a woman. This was apparently also left to elephant to decide.

Other thing is a mystery why elephant cows become fertile many years younger in zoos than in the wild. There are possible answers that it is better food, or lack of social stress from the more dominant cows. But I didn't hear a clear proof of either.
 
The Jacksonville femalesMoki Chana and Sheena are all past producing age and also have medical problems that causes no chance for reproduuction as explained by the keepers.
 
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