Time is definitely running out for Zola given she’s fast approaching 20 and has never bred. Mlilo would benefit from having her next calf sooner rather than later given it’s been six years since her last birth. Hopefully she is already pregnant.
North American Asian and African Elephant Populations: Discussion and Speculation
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Time is definitely running out for Zola given she’s fast approaching 20 and has never bred. Mlilo would benefit from having her next calf sooner rather than later given it’s been six years since her last birth. Hopefully she is already pregnant.
Sadly you’re right about Zola. However she might be one of the six that’s pregnant. Given the number of African elephants currently pregnant in the United States I have a feeling it isn’t just Lolly that will becoming first time parents in 2023.
Well Mlilo did already have a calf so to me I feel like Zola is the priority.
Yes, Zola is the priority being 18 now. Let's hope she is already pregnant.
Milo however, will need to fall pregnant within the next few years.
Agreed. And there’s a possible chance she could very well be pregnant and the zoo just hasn’t announced it yet. Either way, we’re not gonna know for sure until either Dallas Zoo confirms she’s pregnant or just will simply have to wait till 2023 to know for sure.
*turns off receive notifications from this thread before even posting.*
First off, in regards to the proposed list by @Jambo about breeding intervals and retiring cows. Why? North America, unlike landlocked Australia, is in absolutely zero concern of running out of holder spaces for African elephants (where as two rounds of breeding from every viable cow in Australia would effectively fill up every single holding slot available without animals dying or being exported, at least until the next open range zoo exhibit is online). Our population in North America is crashing right now, and the majority of animals are 30+ years of age. Retiring a proven, relatively unrepresented breeding cow for any other reason than further pregnancies potentially affecting her well-being is completely unnecessary. North America could unironically produce 50 calves over the next 5 years (which is actually doable, if there was sufficient cooperation and facility incentive to do so), and that still wouldn’t come to work close to filling up every available holding space out there.
For Omaha specifically, there’s no particular need to worry about calving intervals and who to breed when or when to retire who, at least for the first seeable future. Given the fact that these animals all grew up in natural, fairly healthy herd settings, and there’s already the first generation of young calves born into the herd, whether it’s one calf or four, doesn’t make a big difference. It’s a large exhibit with a large group of animals, social management to that degree really isn’t such a priority in these situations. Especially considering the desire for splinter groups of African elephant matriline‘s in North America right now, it works in everyone’s interest to breed from the cows regularly and freely. Exhibit starts to fill up? Easy, just splinter off one of the wild caught cows with her calves, and any number of facilities would be very eager to slurp them up.
As for all the conjecture here about who’s pregnant and who needs to be breeding and so on and so on, it’s honestly too much for me to even bother picking apart right now. I might have to tackle in the future, but in hindsight, it’s just not something I’m in the mood to doing right now, haha.
First off, in regards to the proposed list by @Jambo about breeding intervals and retiring cows. Why? North America, unlike landlocked Australia, is in absolutely zero concern of running out of holder spaces for African elephants (where as two rounds of breeding from every viable cow in Australia would effectively fill up every single holding slot available without animals dying or being exported, at least until the next open range zoo exhibit is online). Our population in North America is crashing right now, and the majority of animals are 30+ years of age. Retiring a proven, relatively unrepresented breeding cow for any other reason than further pregnancies potentially affecting her well-being is completely unnecessary. North America could unironically produce 50 calves over the next 5 years (which is actually doable, if there was sufficient cooperation and facility incentive to do so), and that still wouldn’t come to work close to filling up every available holding space out there.
For Omaha specifically, there’s no particular need to worry about calving intervals and who to breed when or when to retire who, at least for the first seeable future. Given the fact that these animals all grew up in natural, fairly healthy herd settings, and there’s already the first generation of young calves born into the herd, whether it’s one calf or four, doesn’t make a big difference. It’s a large exhibit with a large group of animals, social management to that degree really isn’t such a priority in these situations. Especially considering the desire for splinter groups of African elephant matriline‘s in North America right now, it works in everyone’s interest to breed from the cows regularly and freely. Exhibit starts to fill up? Easy, just splinter off one of the wild caught cows with her calves, and any number of facilities would be very eager to slurp them up.
As for all the conjecture here about who’s pregnant and who needs to be breeding and so on and so on, it’s honestly too much for me to even bother picking apart right now. I might have to tackle in the future, but in hindsight, it’s just not something I’m in the mood to doing right now, haha.
That's fantastic news. If this results in two successful births, it's nice to know he will leave a legacy beyond being an unfortunate statistic of the devastating EEHV and will give his keepers something positive to focus on.
So a family member mine went to the Fresno Chaffee Zoo today and confirmed after talking to multiple keepers the zoo is NOT breeding their African Elephants at this time. Now it could mean nothing but I do wonder if that means that one of their elephants is pregnant and that’s why they’re not breeding them…
It feels like the Asian elephant population has been struggling for a while due to the ageing population North America has. Australasia by contrast has the opposite problem, we have more reproductive age cows than the zoos know what to do with and most of them are founders.
Long term (especially with Werribee breeding on a large scale), it'd be nice to see a transfer of some of these Australian bred elephants to North America to rejuvenate the genetics and demographics of their population - where placements allow (I appreciate these aren't infinite).
Of course the AZA has plans to increase the population; for both sub species.
North America has faced issues with most of their Asian population being elderly now; and their Africans just haven't been successful in breeding. It's not like the zoos aren't trying.
Europe has plenty of cows to spare, so it's good to see they're taking the initiative of sending some of them over to the US where any new cow is needed.
I don't think they'd say 'not breeding' if one of their females was pregnant. I wonder the reasons behind this as there's absolutely no reason why the Fresno Chaffee girls shouldn't be breeding right now.
But if a female is pregnant why would they want to mate their bull with a pregnant cow?
That's very true, but in context of 'not breeding' you'd assume that's referencing the fact that they haven't been breeding them whatsoever. If a cow was pregnant, 'not breeding' would be misleading information when technically they are breeding them if cows are pregnant.
but they said also “not at this time” they could be taking a break from breeding if one of their cows is pregnant. I know they were breeding them just a year or two ago.
That's true, but I would attribute a pregnancy to 'breeding'.
I guess we'll see in the end if they have managed to get their cows pregnant.
Well, I know zoos are usually cagey on announcing if certain animals are pregnant because the first few months are rly up in the air.
I'd personally suggest pooling the best cows in facilities with high capacity.
I'm sure they're trying, especially with the issue with Asians. I think for Africans (both to some extent), the best thing to do would be to really focus on matching herds and bulls, especially young cows with potential to breed.
I'd personally suggest pooling the best cows in facilities with high capacity.
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Corangurilla
Well-Known Member
No, no, no... say it ain't so...
My worst fear for Phoenix came true right under my nose and I'm just finding out...
A year without seeing elephants might happen and I don't want that to happen...
That's what I'm saying! Giants of the Asian Realm is only three years old and has way too much elephant-specific stuff for Phoenix to just throw it all away. If they have a model of an elephant's butt (complete with dung), I'd say that they're in too deep to back out.Temporary phaseout or permanent? The elephant expansion was rather recent and also was a big part of their capital campaign.
I'm sorry if this post comes across as a little dramatic. The thought of an elephant-less Phoenix Zoo actually makes me nervous to the point of losing sleep and having nightmares about the zoo publicly euthanizing Indu ala Marius the giraffe. I was also under the impression that Chutti was only there until a suitable female was found for him.
(Aaaand I'm already in the "denial" stage of grief)