This move from Knowsley to Beauval has been very long on the cards and I am well glad it is finally getting the go-ahead.
I just sincerely hope 2 things will be achieved: A) that the new African elephant EEP keeper will stick to his guns and do what is im tje best interest of the elephant breeding program per se rather than what individual zoos or elephant managers and keepers want. Meaning: transfers and recommendations reflecting the best possible social herd structure and cohesion of individual elephant groups herds
In the case of KSP this means that the herd should stay together at Beauval and will now get the opportunity to breed - which had been true for a very small part of their herd in the past - or will get that opportunity full stop - after having been without a good bull for some considerable time period. Another issue that needs sorting: that Beauval will finally invest in getting their bull situation sorted which will allow for natural breeding of their elephant herd(s). Allthough, I do recognise their is an interest in continuing AI technology for cows without access to a bull (and or in cases of repro-medical issues and hormonal / cycling therapy).
NOTA BENE:
As it is, and this for the best part of the past decade the African elephant EEP has been in crisis mode (early 2000'ish demographic studies were done with future projections for both Asian and African elephant programs) and remains to this day. Whereas the Asian program has grown to an extentthat sustainability of the European captive population is assured, projections for their African species are far from favorable.
Unless, we starting dealing with the African elephant program in full matrilines rather than in sticking several unrelated elephants together for any specific time, allowing all reproductively able and good age class cows and bulls access to or in a breeding situation and do not leave breeding age cows and bulls in a non-breeding situation for a considerable amount, this situation will persist. I would even go so far as to say that a case in Europe could be made for further imports from the wild of "culling" type Africans where this serves the interest in reproductively well placed males and females for the EEP.
