La Cucaracha
Well-Known Member
I understand Africans are a little larger and more unpredictable, but why am I likely to see these at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and Asian elephants in Denver?
How do zoos choose between keeping African and Asian elephants?
- Thread starter La Cucaracha
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- elephants
It's purely choice made by zoo management. Some zoos elect to go with Africans, others Asians.
There's really no strict reasoning behind this, each facility makes their own decision for a variety of reasons. Some zoos may already have one or the other and therefore elect to continue with them, or they may believe one of the two sub species better suits their overall zoo theming/conservation messages.
In some cases with new zoos looking to acquire elephants they may look into availability; whether they'll have more application with either regional population. Ie. there may be a need for a bachelor facility for African elephants within the region, so a facility keen for elephants may look to pursue this.
Wisp O' Mist
Well-Known Member
Climate?
I can see that also being a consideration. Asians are supposed to be more cold-hardy than Africans.
I can see that also being a consideration. Asians are supposed to be more cold-hardy than Africans.
Funnily enough, I have heard it claimed on this site before both that Asians are more cold-hardy than Africans, but also that Africans are more cold-hardy than Asians. Not sure if there's any truth to either statement, but just interesting that the discrepancy exists. I'd be curious to hear the opinions of someone more well-versed in elephant husbandry, such as @E Maximus, on this question and the broader question of why a zoo may opt for one species or the other.
At the end of the day, a lot of times which elephant species a zoo houses, like @Jambo mentioned, can be a historical decision. I am aware of only a single case where a zoo switched from one elephant species to the other in recent years (San Diego), and seeing as elephants are long-lived animals, it is best for zoos to stay committed to one species or the other and provide them the best care for their entire lives.
If a zoo was to start a new elephant program from scratch, I'd imagine there would be a few considerations as to which species, including the following:
- Ease of acquiring the elephants: There isn't an unlimited supply of zoo-housed elephants in need of good homes, and given that elephants live in matriarchal herds, it's rare for breeding herds of elephants to become available for new zoos. Many zoos would likely be limited as to which elephant species is feasible to acquire at any given moment.
- Theming/education goals: Not all zoos have a unique complex just for their elephants. Some zoos, such as Disney's Animal Kingdom, North Carolina Zoo, and Dallas Zoo keep African elephants within larger African complexes. It'd be really weird if Dallas Zoo, for instance, opted to keep Asian elephants alongside giraffes and antelope, hence the choice to keep Africans. On the flip side, some zoos, such as Bronx Zoo and Columbus Zoo, house Asian elephants within larger Asian complexes.
- Conservation: Many zoos contribute to elephant conservation within range-countries. Oftentimes, these programs will be paired with housing elephants of the same species as ambassadors for their wild counterparts. For example, Roger Williams Park Zoo contributes to the Tarangire Elephant Project, which works with African elephants in Tanzania. The elephants at the zoo serve as ambassadors for this conservation initiative. While I'm not saying a zoo can't have one elephant species while contributing to conservation of the other, it can make for more compelling education and theming when these two aspects of a zoo are aligned.
Based on my observations, both Asian and African elephants demonstrate resilience and adaptability to various temperatures. I have observed instances where both Asian and African elephants opted to remain outdoors for extended periods in temperatures well below freezing, despite the availability of heated barns.
Regarding zoos with expansive new facilities themed around specific geographic regions such as those in Dallas, Rosamond Gifford, and Bronx, many had already housed either Asian or African elephants and relocated them to their respective regions. In cases like Tucson and Fresno, they chose to focus on one species aligned with their thematic approach and relocated the others. Personally, I do not find it unusual when zoos house elephants of a species different from those found in the wild alongside other non-native species. Both Asian and African elephants effectively convey conservation messages to the public, regardless of whether they are paired with non-native/native species in their respective regions.
To address the initial question, the outcome often hinges on a combination of opportunity and practicality with the decision ultimately resting with zoo management and their alignment with Species Survival Plans (SSPs), as well as considerations of feasibility and budget for acquisition.
Aardwolf
Well-Known Member
Historically, Asian elephants were far easier for zoos to obtain than Africans because of the relative ease of importing working animals, already trained, from South Asia (or, as was more commonly done, from circuses, which is where almost all American zoos got their first elephant from - almost all of which would have been Asian). Furthermore, Asians were generally considered calmer and more easily trained, which was a major advantage not only for working free contact, as all keepers did back in the day, but for offering elephant rides to children. The practice of keeping mixed herds was also common for a long time.
Zoo-Lover-1-2-3
Well-Known Member
I think that it is mostly Environment and which elephant sub species fits Best with it and in general which sub species is easier to supply. For example in North America there is some of both Subspecies but mostly Asian elephants while in Europe and Asia it’s primarily Asian elephant too but in Australia they have on purpose fazed out African Elephants from their zoos to only hold Asian elephants since they are much easier to source.