Taronga Zoo Pak Boon's Calf

Just wondering what everyone's thoughts are on Taronga Zoo's birthing plan for the elephants?

The current plan includes having the other females in seperate stalls during the birthing process so they can watch the birth. As a first time mother there is a very small possibility that Pak Boon will be unsure of the calf. There was a birth at Longleat Safari Park in England about 10 years ago and an elephant had jsut given birth. She was a first time mother and was unsure of the calf so she started kicking it. Fortunately, the matriach was in the barn with her and she intervened, her quick-thinking actions ultimately saving the day as she demonstrated to the mother what she was supposed to do.

Anyway, it would seem logical that Porntip should be present at the birth when Pak Boon goes into labour. Having the entire herd there would crowd her and the young calves would get in the way, but Porntip is Pak Boon's closest friend and the most expereinced elephant in the herd. Pathi Harn would be almsot nine months old by November and could be baby-sat by Tang Mo and Thong Dee during the birth.

There have been many incidences of first time mothers injuring or even killing their first born calves out of fear and while I'm confident they'll be none of that nonsense from Pak Boon I believe every precaution should be taken.
 
Taronga's elephant keepers would know their animals very well and would know if another cow was needed when the birth is due, it may well be they may have plans to have Porntip close at hand I am sure they have everything covered.

I bet they are hoping for a female calf this time
 
Axl said:
A female calf would be great. I found a video of an elephant birth online if anyone is interested, it's very dramatic!


Here's the link: Elephant Gives Birth and Kick Starts Baby • VideoSift: Online Video *Quality Control


It was taken at an elephant safari park in Bali. It seems as if the mother is being aggressive to the baby at first, but in fact she probbly knew she was helping it.
Click to expand...


Good clip, it's interesting the way the mother kicked it a couple of times with her back feet to stimulate it's breathing and then turned around to see if it had worked. When she got no response she turned around again and got antoher few kicks in!

I'm amazed at how tough these babies are, the fall onto the concrete looked dangerous and there were several kicks to its body! At least it had a good result.
 
Axl said:
Here are some translations:

KANYA Girl
KULAP Rose
LAWAN Beautiful
MALAI Garland of Flowers
PAKPAO Kite
RATREE Jasmine Flower
SUCHART Born into a Good Life
SUKHON Pleasant Smell

Kulap and Malai may be too similar to Kulab and Mali at the Melbourne Zoo but I especially like Pak Pao, it has a playful meaning behind it and goes very well with Pak Boon. :D
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How about Anchali for a girl, it's Thai for greeting or:

Pakhdi if it's a boy, not sure what this Thai name means though,

I also found this site for the Boon Lott Elephant Sanctuary in Thailand. Here is the story of the sanctuary's matriach who's name Pang Tong means Mrs. Gold in Thai. Check out the site for many interesting names:

Pang Tong (Mrs. Gold in Thai) is the mother of the Sanctuary’s namesake, Boon Lott, and the matriarch of the BLES family. Her life before BLES was filled with abuse and distress. When Katherine and Anon met her owner, he proudly shared his personal story of beating, starving, and working her under dangerous conditions. He was oblivious to Pang Tong’s first pregnancy until he found the dead calf’s body beside her. The calf may have been stillborn due to Pang Tong’s highly distressed state or her isolation from other elephants. Lacking guidance provided by female elders, she may have panicked and killed the baby in ignorance. Pregnant a second time, the owner was again unaware of Pang Tong’s condition until a serious logging accident induced a premature labour. The tiny male calf and his mother were transported to an elephant hospital where the staff agreed that he would not survive more than a few days. The calf did survive, for just over two years, and was named Boon Lott (survivor in Thai) — the courageous calf that inspired the founding of BLES.

After the untimely death of Boon Lott, Pang Tong was returned to her life as an overworked, under fed, logging elephant. Word eventually reached Katherine that
Pang Tong’s owner hoped to sell her for use as a Bangkok street beggar. Katherine began desperately raising funds and enlisted the help of The Elephants Umbrella Fund and The Elephant Foundation; two organizations dedicated to helping elephants in distress. Thankfully, the funds were quick to arrive and Pang Tong was transported to the safety of BLES.

Upon her arrival, Pang Tong was agitated and aggressive, displaying defiant expressions and body language. In less than a month, under Anon’s care, she became calm, amiable, and surprisingly affectionate.

No one thought Pang Tong would ever learn to trust humans after the cruelty she had suffered. Anon and the mahouts’ patience and understanding have shown Pang Tong that she is resolutely safe at BLES. Now a central part in our BLES family, Pang Tong thrives in her role as the matriarch. She warmly adopts our new rescues into her care and all the elephants, including the bulls, gravitate to her.
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Elephant Sanctuary - Boon Lott's Elephant Sanctuary in Thailand - BLES: Pang Tong
 
Elephant births

Trent said:
Good clip, it's interesting the way the mother kicked it a couple of times with her back feet to stimulate it's breathing and then turned around to see if it had worked. When she got no response she turned around again and got antoher few kicks in!

I'm amazed at how tough these babies are, the fall onto the concrete looked dangerous and there were several kicks to its body! At least it had a good result.
Click to expand...

When a first or even second time mother gives birth,it is a tense situation for mother and keepers alike.From experience I believe the more control you have of the situation,the better, as you have just waited and prepared the longest possible time for the birth and if a mother starts being aggressive you have very little chance of stopping her attack and that situation is immediately dangerous to staff and calf alike.In the UK a calf was attacked by it's mother and now suffers development problems and in comparison to a sibling of similar age it is underweight.Through training the mother,she can learn to accept a birth protocol and a live uninjured calf can be presented back to mother and staff are kept safe as well.It can go so wrong so quickly and I would prefer to manage the situation than rely on a stressed elephant to be my judge on the day.Just 2 pence worth.Cheers
 
You may know?, In regards to Woburns elephant herd which appears to have a breeding problem would you think AI might be the way to go now, not sure where things are at there maybe the bull is not up to breeding?
 
Just recently Raja has been confirmed as a sire for the impending pregnancy of Tara at Twycross.There has been an AI attempt at Woburn which was unsuccessful and I believe another attempt is in the pipeline.This news is the second time a bull in the UK has sired out of his own zoo with no pregnancy or birth at his home zoo.Good news that Raja is at least viable as a donor.Cheers
 
Gajah69 said:
Just recently Raja has been confirmed as a sire for the impending pregnancy of Tara at Twycross. Good news Raja is at least viable as a donor.Cheers
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Do you mean Tara is already pregnant, or that Rajah's semen will be used for AI with her in due course?

Also where is the young elephant you mentioned that was attacked at birth and developing slower than a sibling- is it Whipsnade?
 
Tara is already pregnant and Raja was the donor.The above mentioned calf is at Twycross.The sibling is a half sister we have here at Whipsnade which is a month older.
Cheers.
 
Gajah69 said:
When a first or even second time mother gives birth,it is a tense situation for mother and keepers alike.From experience I believe the more control you have of the situation,the better, as you have just waited and prepared the longest possible time for the birth and if a mother starts being aggressive you have very little chance of stopping her attack and that situation is immediately dangerous to staff and calf alike.In the UK a calf was attacked by it's mother and now suffers development problems and in comparison to a sibling of similar age it is underweight.Through training the mother,she can learn to accept a birth protocol and a live uninjured calf can be presented back to mother and staff are kept safe as well.It can go so wrong so quickly and I would prefer to manage the situation than rely on a stressed elephant to be my judge on the day.Just 2 pence worth.Cheers
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You make a very good point, it's hard to tell how Pak Boon will react although she hopefully would have picked up expereince from Thong Dee and Porntip. Thanks for your response, I'm always interested to hear another's opinion. :)
 
Gajah69 said:
Just recently Raja has been confirmed as a sire for the impending pregnancy of Tara at Twycross.There has been an AI attempt at Woburn which was unsuccessful and I believe another attempt is in the pipeline.This news is the second time a bull in the UK has sired out of his own zoo with no pregnancy or birth at his home zoo.Good news that Raja is at least viable as a donor.Cheers
Click to expand...

That is really good news that Raja is viable and also that woburn are making attempts with AI, Do you know if it's the German team doing the AI work at Woburn? it maybe the same guys who are doing the AI work here in oz, I really hope Woburn gets some results from their females
 
Gajah69 said:
The above mentioned calf is at Twycross. The sibling is a halfsister we have here at Whipsnade which is a month older.
Cheers.
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Good news about Tara then. I have noticed how Twycross's calf was definately not 'thrifty' at first and hasn't looked very healthy ever since his birth, though photos show he seems to have picked up a bit now (?) I am a bit surprised to hear Norjahan attacked him as she had previously seen the small calves of Tonzi and Minbu -though perhaps that was too long ago?
 
It is the German's that do Woburn's AI work.Noone else has the kit or experience in this country,right now.Cows should have the opportunity to watch as many births as possible as it can only add to their knowledge.It's not uncommon for first time mum's and hence why there should be a protocol in place whether it be FC or PC.Cheers.
 
Axl said:
Just wondering what everyone's thoughts are on Taronga Zoo's birthing plan for the elephants?

The current plan includes having the other females in seperate stalls during the birthing process so they can watch the birth. As a first time mother there is a very small possibility that Pak Boon will be unsure of the calf. There was a birth at Longleat Safari Park in England about 10 years ago and an elephant had jsut given birth. She was a first time mother and was unsure of the calf so she started kicking it. Fortunately, the matriach was in the barn with her and she intervened, her quick-thinking actions ultimately saving the day as she demonstrated to the mother what she was supposed to do.

Anyway, it would seem logical that Porntip should be present at the birth when Pak Boon goes into labour. Having the entire herd there would crowd her and the young calves would get in the way, but Porntip is Pak Boon's closest friend and the most expereinced elephant in the herd. Pathi Harn would be almsot nine months old by November and could be baby-sat by Tang Mo and Thong Dee during the birth.

There have been many incidences of first time mothers injuring or even killing their first born calves out of fear and while I'm confident they'll be none of that nonsense from Pak Boon I believe every precaution should be taken.
Click to expand...


Hey Guys,

I've just emailed Taronga Zoo for an update on Pak Boon so I'll post it on here as soon as I get a reply.

In the meantime, check out Taronga Zoo's Elephant Birth FAQs at:

Elephant Birth Info - Taronga Conservation Society Australia
 
Axl said:
Hey Guys,

I've just emailed Taronga Zoo for an update on Pak Boon so I'll post it on here as soon as I get a reply.

In the meantime, check out Taronga Zoo's Elephant Birth FAQs at:

Elephant Birth Info - Taronga Conservation Society Australia
Click to expand...

I received an office reply from someone at Taronga Zoo saying all updates will be posted on the website as they become available, well obviously! :rolleyes:

Getting information out of Taronga Zoo is like getting blood out of a stone. In contrast, Melbourne Zoo has always been very public with their news, updating us on Dokkoon and Kulab throughout their pregnancies and making media announcements.
 
Axl said:
Just wondering what everyone's thoughts are on Taronga Zoo's birthing plan for the elephants?

The current plan includes having the other females in seperate stalls during the birthing process so they can watch the birth. As a first time mother there is a very small possibility that Pak Boon will be unsure of the calf. There was a birth at Longleat Safari Park in England about 10 years ago and an elephant had jsut given birth. She was a first time mother and was unsure of the calf so she started kicking it. Fortunately, the matriach was in the barn with her and she intervened, her quick-thinking actions ultimately saving the day as she demonstrated to the mother what she was supposed to do.

Anyway, it would seem logical that Porntip should be present at the birth when Pak Boon goes into labour. Having the entire herd there would crowd her and the young calves would get in the way, but Porntip is Pak Boon's closest friend and the most expereinced elephant in the herd. Pathi Harn would be almsot nine months old by November and could be baby-sat by Tang Mo and Thong Dee during the birth.

There have been many incidences of first time mothers injuring or even killing their first born calves out of fear and while I'm confident they'll be none of that nonsense from Pak Boon I believe every precaution should be taken.
Click to expand...


As Pak Boon enters her final four weeks of pregnancy we can all look forward to the safe delivery of a healthy calf.

In the mean time, does anyone know about the plans to breed Thong Dee and Porntip again? An elephant at Singapore Zoo had two calves born in 1999 and 2001 (I think the 1999 calf was born near the start of the year and the 2001 calf near the end) so that's a gap of just less than three years.

If the Taronga Zoo bred with Thong Dee again this month she would deliver a calf in July 2012, three years after the birth of Luk Chai. :)
 
There are quite a few cases in which an elephant cow has fallen pregnant only after a few months after giving birth.
You're correct Axl, Sri Nadong gave birth to Sang Raja in march 1999 and sang wira sometime in 2001. It's shame that Singapore has not had an elephant birth since.

What is the breeding status of tang mo?
 
dragon(ele)nerd said:
There are quite a few cases in which an elephant cow has fallen pregnant only after a few months after giving birth.
You're correct Axl, Sri Nadong gave birth to Sang Raja in march 1999 and sang wira sometime in 2001. It's shame that Singapore has not had an elephant birth since.

What is the breeding status of tang mo?
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Thanks for the additional info on Singapore's elephants, I heard the female Jumilah prodcued a female calf in 1998 but the baby died at 13 months old.

When I emailed Taronga Zoo about six weeks ago they said she had undergone testing and was reproductively viable. They said at the time they were finalising the details on breeding with her. I'm not sure why it's taken this long, Kulab at Melbourne prodcued her first calf at 10 and Thong Dee at 12 so Tang Mo will be at least 13 before she has a calf.

I think the best way forward would be to breed Tang Mo and Thong Dee immeadiately, that way they would both produce calves around the same time. Pregnancies are never announced until the fifth month so if Tang Mo is already four months pregnant they won't tell us for another four weeks.
 
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