North American Asian Elephant Reproduction

E Maximus said:
I believe Frankie is right. I briefly recall reading somewhere they didn't wanna risk potential injury during an introduction to new cows.
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I wonder what this means then for breeding at Tulsa; ie. do they bring in new cows and a new bull, or do they hold off until the current trio pass (which could still be more than a decade away).

I'm not sure how much space the new facility will have, whether they'll have the space for a new bull and cows alongside the current trio who can be grouped together.
 
Jambo said:
I wonder what this means then for breeding at Tulsa; ie. do they bring in new cows and a new bull, or do they hold off until the current trio pass (which could still be more than a decade away).

I'm not sure how much space the new facility will have, whether they'll have the space for a new bull and cows alongside the current trio who can be grouped together.
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Oh, they will for sure bring in a new bull and another group of cows. Their new facility in terms of indoor space has 7 stalls and two herd rooms. Facilities with half this amount of space have housed almost triple what Tulsa currently has. Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure their current barn is also staying and just being renovated so that will leave them with two barns and 6 yards totalling over 15 acres. Space will not be a problem and if breeding is their goal as they've stated then holding off for another 10+ years would be irresponsible.
 
E Maximus said:
Oh, they will for sure bring in a new bull and another group of cows. Their new facility in terms of indoor space has 7 stalls and two herd rooms. Facilities with half this amount of space have housed almost triple what Tulsa currently has. Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure their current barn is also staying and just being renovated so that will leave them with two barns and 6 yards totalling over 15 acres. Space will not be a problem and if breeding is their goal as they've stated then holding off for another 10+ years would be irresponsible.
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The new facility can hold up to 15 elephants if the article I read was correct! More than enough room to bring in multiple cows and even multiple bulls should they choose in addition to the older crew.
 
Just as an overarching update going into spring 2024:
There are currently 5 confirmed pregnancies in the NA population.

0.1 Rozana (Ranchipur x Alice) - Due late 2024 or early 2025. (Sire is either Albert or one of Denver's bulls)
0.1 Jade (Raja x Rani) - Due late 2024 or early 2025. (Sire is Jake)
0.1 Asha (Onyx x Connie) - Due April 2025 (Sire is presumed to be Rex)
0.1 Rose-Tu (Hugo x Me-Tu) - Due early or late 2025 (Sire is Samson)
0.1 Achara (Rex x Asha) - Due July 2025 (Sire is presumed to be Bowie)

Things are looking absolutely wonderful for the population! Fingers crossed we see a few more pregnancy announcements this year!
 
33 year old Shanti at the Houston Zoo is expecting a calf at the end of 2024! The sire of the calf is 58 year old Thailand!

From Our Herd to Yours: Happy Mother’s Day, The Houston Zoo

This brings the number of pregnancies up to 6! With 1 cow confirmed due in 2024 (Shanti), two cows due in either late 2024 or early 2025 (Rozie and Jade), and three cows confirmed due in 2025 (Asha, Rose-Tu and Achara), the coming year is set to be great for Asian births!
 
Frankie_number_1_fan said:
33 year old Shanti at the Houston Zoo is expecting a calf at the end of 2024! The sire of the calf is 58 year old Thailand!

From Our Herd to Yours: Happy Mother’s Day, The Houston Zoo

This brings the number of pregnancies up to 6! With 1 cow confirmed due in 2024 (Shanti), two cows due in either late 2024 or early 2025 (Rozie and Jade), and three cows confirmed due in 2025 (Asha, Rose-Tu and Achara), the coming year is set to be great for Asian births!
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Rosannas official due date is by 2024 also

Baby elephant expected to arrive to ABQ BioPark later this year
 
Mid-year Asian Elephant Reproduction update!

There are currently 6 confirmed pregnancies, with two due this year, one due either this year or early next, and three due next year!
We have seen the movement of 1.0 Chuck into a breeding situation at Houston Zoo and hopefully more bulls will be moved soon as well!

Current pregnancies:

0.1 Shanti (Onyx x Bozie) at the Houston Zoo is due in December of 2024
(Sire is 1.0 Thai (Wild x Wild) at the Houston Zoo)

0.1 Rozana (Ranchipur x Alice) at Albuquerque Bio Park is due in December of 2024
(Sire is either 1.0 Albert (Calvin x Phoebe) at Albuquerque Bio Park or a bull at Denver Zoo)

0.1 Jade (Raja x Rani) at Saint Louis Zoo is due in late 2024 or early 2025
(Sire is 1.0 Jake (Rex x Natasha) at Denver Zoo)

0.1 Asha (Onyx x Connie) at the Oklahoma City Zoo is due April 2025
(Sire is 1.0 Rex (Wild x Wild) at the Oklahoma City Zoo)*

0.1 Rose-Tu (Hugo x Me-Tu) at Oregon Zoo is due early or late 2025
(Sire is 1.0 Samson (Calvin x Kitty) at Oregon Zoo)

0.1 Achara (Rex x Asha) at the Oklahoma City Zoo is due in July 2025
(Sire is 1.0 Bowie (Samson x Bluebonnet) at the Oklahoma City Zoo)*

(*Going off of the zoo's social media statements)

We have not seen the announcement of any births this far into 2024, but this will certianly change going into the later half of the year!
 
Some updates!

African Lion Safari announced the birth of 0.2 calves: Abigail (Johnson x Lily) born January 28th and Olivia (Johnson x Opal) born February 2nd.

African Lion Safari on Instagram: "Double the joy at African Lion Safari!"

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Unfortunately, Asha at the Oklahoma City Zoo went into premature labor and gave birth to a stillborn male calf on July 20th. The calf was due in April.

OKC ZOO SADDENED TO ANNOUNCE THAT ASIAN ELEPHANT, ASHA’S PREGNANCY ENDS DUE TO MISCARRIAGE
 
Frankie_number_1_fan said:
Remarkably exciting news! Two of Columbus' females are expecting calves next year!
First-time-mom Sunny is due Summer 2025, and Phoebe is due Fall 2025!

Columbus Zoo and Aquarium on Instagram: "Something BIG is happening at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, and we couldn’t wait to share the news with you!"

This brings the number of Asian Elephant pregnancies up to seven!
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I am glad the number is on the up. Just for a stable population numbers need to increase further still. I hold out hope that some of the zoos with now geriatric elephants will in the medium term either adopt a bachelor herd or create further space for breeding groups of Asiatic elephants.

Same goes for African elephants in fairness.
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
I am glad the number is on the up. Just for a stable population numbers need to increase further still. I hold out hope that some of the zoos with now geriatric elephants will in the medium term either adopt a bachelor herd or create further space for breeding groups of Asiatic elephants.

Same goes for African elephants in fairness.
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It's lovely to see the Asian population finally begining to step up to the progress of their African cousins. In all honesty I believe we may see the Asian population surpass the African in terms of births in 5 or so years' time. Every breeding facility (minus ALS, and I imagine this will change soon) in the region has a bull, we are seeing males moved around more than ever before, and we are seeing cows bred as soon as they hit 8 years old with goals of a calf every 3ish years. This is simply a wonderful direction to be trending in.

I too am hopeful that several of the current geriatric holders will retain elephants once their current individuals pass away or are moved elswhere. There aren't a ton of breeding facilities in NA currently, and despite improvements more matrilines would help upkeep diversity, which is slightly dwindling as we see less founder representation.
 
Perhaps the closer cooperation with EAZA/EEP region / ex situ conservation breeding has been a determinant factor in the change of course. I know for a fact that interregional conferences on the subject have been instrumental in forging closer cooperation on elephant management and consequent knowledge and information transfer. Guidelines for breeding and recommendations for transferring elephants into breeding situations and frequent exchange out of bulls, establishing new bachelor groups or provide a refuge within the accredited zoo community for geriartric elderly and non-reproductive elephants have been more frequent this side of the Atlantic.
 
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