North American African Elephant Population 2023

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John Marchwick said:
@Hyak_II Titan HAS been practicing breeding. So I think at some point Titan will be a strong contender in my opinion and be a well proven breeding bull. I don’t know about the others but I would certainly not write Titan off.

No pressure: Wichita zoo counting on new bull elephant to get it its first baby ever
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Titan’s still young, so no huge rush. Some males obviously just seem to take time to get the hang of things; and it can really depend on the female too as in some cases, it comes down to if the female actually allowing the male to properly mate her.
 
Practicing means nothing. Louie was “practicing” with Twiggy at Toledo, but no beans. Vu’Musi “practiced” oodles with Amy and Betts at Fresno, but similarly without success.

Titan is obviously fertile, and while I wouldn’t discount him as a natural breeder forever (for example, in Europe, Tooth, Yoga and Jack all only became successful breeders after departing their original facilities), I think suspect it might end up being a similar situation with Titan, where he’ll need to mature for several years yet and perhaps move facilities before finding success in natural breeding.
 
 
IndianRhino said:
Very interesting news! Ajani at Sedgwick County will be headed to Toledo very soon.

The Toledo Zoo on Instagram: "There's been a trunk-load of excitement at Toledo Zoo this week... Meet Ajani, a 23-year-old male African elephant, joining the Tembo Trail exhibit. His arrival marks a milestone in our dedication to animal care and conservation, serving as an ambassador for his species alongside Twiggy and Renee. Plus, his move supports social enhancement and potential breeding efforts. Ajani was born at the Indianapolis Zoo, moved to the Birmingham Zoo in 2011 and the Sedgwick County Zoo in 2018. He is 9.5 feet tall and weighs 11,710 pounds. Ajani will be arriving in early fall! #ToledoZoo #ToledoOhio #Zoo #ZooAnimals #Elephant #Elephants #AfricanElephant"
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I thought Toledo wasn’t a bull proof facility though? Like their elephant exhibit wasn’t meant to house bulls…
 
Huh, now I must admit, this is indeed *very* interesting news.

Truthfully, Toledo is one of the *last* facilities I would have expected to get a new bull at this point, considering Twiggy is too old for a first pregnancy, and Renee is currently pregnant with what will likely be her last pregnancy.

I suspect, mainly, this is a move for social reasons. Ajani is, thus far, a behavioural non breeder. However he’s also a fairly laid back and socially affable animal, from everything I’ve heard. I suspect the plan will be for Ajani to be Twiggy’s social companion for a period of time once Renee gives birth, until Renee, Twiggy, and the calf are brought together again.

This one is a bit more out there, but I wonder if he was perhaps brought on as a herpes insurance policy, as well. He has already done plasma donation for other elephants suffering from herpes, and considering the wide range of social partners he’s had over the years, he likely has a fairly robust immune reaction of a variety of different strains as well. By having him at the zoo, should Renee’s next calf end up contracting the virus, Ajani will be there to provide immediate plasma for the calf, which can potentially make all the difference in survival!
 
Donna has arrived at TES


“As you know, since Donna’s lifelong companion Lisa’s passing earlier this year, our mission has been to find new friends for Donna, who, like all female elephants, is very social by nature.

We were fortunate to find an ideal place with three female African elephants Donna’s age — The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. For the past several months, we have been preparing Donna for her journey there.

We are excited to share that Donna and team made it to The Elephant Sanctuary safely! Donna left Oakland Zoo on Monday afternoon and was accompanied by Oakland Zoo vet Dr. Ryan Sadler, Zoological Manager Gina Kinzley, and Head Elephant Keeper Marisa Riordan. The journey took 40 hours, including regular stops to feed and check on Donna (she ate 30 watermelons on the road trip)

Donna & crew arrived to the AZA-accredited TES on Wednesday morning, safe and sound. Brave Donna started exploring her new home right away, and has already met one of the resident African females, Flora! (She’ll meet Tange and Sukari soon).

Dr. Ryan, Gina and Marisa are staying with Donna for several days as she gets comfortable in her new home.

We will all miss Donna terribly, but we are so happy that she will once again have other companions. And we know The Elephant Sanctuary will give her the best possible care and provide her a loving home.”

More about Donna’s journey:
Oakland Zoo’s African Elephant, Donna, Moves to New Home at The Elephant Sanctuary | Oakland Zoo


Donna elephant's journey to Tennessee | As you know, since Donna’s lifelong companion Lisa’s passing earlier this year, our mission has been to find new friends for Donna, who, like all female... | By Oakland Zoo | Facebook
 
Hyak_II said:
Huh, now I must admit, this is indeed *very* interesting news.

Truthfully, Toledo is one of the *last* facilities I would have expected to get a new bull at this point, considering Twiggy is too old for a first pregnancy, and Renee is currently pregnant with what will likely be her last pregnancy.

I suspect, mainly, this is a move for social reasons. Ajani is, thus far, a behavioural non breeder. However he’s also a fairly laid back and socially affable animal, from everything I’ve heard. I suspect the plan will be for Ajani to be Twiggy’s social companion for a period of time once Renee gives birth, until Renee, Twiggy, and the calf are brought together again.

This one is a bit more out there, but I wonder if he was perhaps brought on as a herpes insurance policy, as well. He has already done plasma donation for other elephants suffering from herpes, and considering the wide range of social partners he’s had over the years, he likely has a fairly robust immune reaction of a variety of different strains as well. By having him at the zoo, should Renee’s next calf end up contracting the virus, Ajani will be there to provide immediate plasma for the calf, which can potentially make all the difference in survival!
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Keep in mind that this move may not entirely be due to Toledo's needs, but also for Sedgwick County's needs. Sedgwick County has a large herd, and just welcomed in a new, very successful breeder bull. There's no need for Sedgwick County to have three bulls, and it'll provide them more flexibility and space if there are less bulls when/if there are calves in the next few years. This move could be in preparation for that to happen, and Toledo could've just been the place that had the space and desire to house Ajani.
 
I have no doubt that factored into the decision as well. I actually thought about adding something to that effect to my prior post, but it was early in the morning and I didn’t feel like typing that much on my phone :p
 
Once again, not surprising news, but very pleasant nonetheless :) I have no doubt there will be five beautiful elephant calves in 2025-2026 for Sedgwick, these just happen to be the first two that got preggo . As much as I’m hoping Titan or Ajani will have sired some, I have a feeling it’s gonna be another batch of five Callee calves.
 
According to the zoo, there are 11 known African elephant pregnancies in North America. The ones we know of now include:

Due 2023:
Maclean X Nadirah - Disney’s Animal Kingdom (Due no later than early winter next year, but potentially due later this year as well. We never got a due date but she seems to have gotten pregnant sometime around March 17, 2022)

Due in 2024:
Titan X Renee - Toledo Zoo
Callee X Omma - Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo
Mabu X Semba - Reid Park Zoo
Mabu X Nolwazi - Fresno Chaffee Zoo
Mabu X Amahle - Fresno Chaffee Zoo

Due in 2025:
Ajani or Callee X Simunye - Sedgwick County Zoo
Ajani or Callee or Titan X Talia - Sedgwick County Zoo


Two elephants at the Sedgwick County Zoo are expecting babies

This leaves 3 pregnancies left We have not known about, though it would add to the information we received that 2 more calves are due this year.
 
Polar bear fan said:
According to the zoo, there are 11 known African elephant pregnancies in North America. The ones we know of now include:

Due 2023:
Maclean X Nadirah - Disney’s Animal Kingdom (Due no later than early winter next year, but potentially due later this year as well. We never got a due date but she seems to have gotten pregnant sometime around March 17, 2022)

Due in 2024:
Titan X Renee - Toledo Zoo
Callee X Omma - Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo
Mabu X Semba - Reid Park Zoo
Mabu X Nolwazi - Fresno Chaffee Zoo
Mabu X Amahle - Fresno Chaffee Zoo

Due in 2025:
Ajani or Callee X Simunye - Sedgwick County Zoo
Ajani or Callee or Titan X Simunye - Sedgwick County Zoo


Two elephants at the Sedgwick County Zoo are expecting babies
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Simunye is Titans mother. I think you meant Talia…
 
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