Asian Elephants in North America
Asian Elephants have long been apart of zoos and circuses in America. The 1st births occured around the turn of the 20th century in circuses, most with the Sells-Floto Circus. The modern elephant breeding programs get their start from one man, Morgan Berry. Morgan Berry, a keeper at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, WA and an imported of animals, maintained a herd of elephants. In 1962, one of his elephants gave birth while wintering at the Portland Zoo. This was Portland's famous elephant Packy, born to Thonglaw and Belle. Berry's elephants are also known with the programs at SDWAP and Houston.
Packy's birth led to a long history at Portland of elephants births, resulting in 27 altogether. Now only 5 elephants remain from this famous bloodline. In the 1980s and early 1990s, many zoos became involved with Asian Elephants due to their Endangered status, the popularity of calves with the public, lucrative sale of calves, and the later formation of an SSP. These zoos included Houston, Miami, Calgary, SDWAP, Syracuse, African Lion Safari, Ringling Brothers, Hawthorn Corporation, Forth Worth, and Dickerson Park Zoo in Springfield, MO.
Dickerson Park Zoo's elephant breeding program began the short-term loaning concept of a regional breeding facility. This allows only a few zoos to hold males (still a bad idea for genetic diversity) and zoos nearby could send their females to breed at the regional facility (Syrcause also used this method). This way every zoo would not need to house a male. Dickerson Park hosted females from all over the country including: St Louis, Denver, Seattle, Chicago, Baton Rouge, Cincinnati, and a few circuses. This created a well established bloodling that carries on today.
Many hear of Ringling Brothers' famous elephant breeding program. However, its program should be attributed to Richard Schmidt. His herd of elephants were located at Circus World, then Busch Gardens Tampa, and finally Ringling's Center for Elephant Conservation. This herd has resulted in more than 30 elephant births, most from one bull - Vance. While this program it not apart of the SSP, some offspring have made their way to zoos and bred successfully. It should be noted that this bloodline be watched carefully as not to created over-representation in the SSP.
In the last decade two facilites, the Elephant Sanctuary and PAWS, both on oppostie ends of the continent, are providing a refuge for retired elephants that are unwanted, have been confiscated, or have seen worst days. While these sanctuaries are not apart of the SSP, they serve a very important purpose to those animals that are no longer wanted. While some of these animals come from zoos, all of those from depressing enclosures, most are from private individuals.
With the help of AI and many transfers, the Asian Elephant programs are being restarted, after many years of a lack of interest in zoos' acquiring additional elephants. So far, there has not been as much success as the African program, but only time will tell.
