Taronga Zoo The next elephant birth

  • Thread starter Thread starter jay
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the main thing is that the pornthip is okay. it was always inevitable that there would be some failed births. its natural. i don't see this as a disaster at all.
 
phoenix said:
the main thing is that the pornthip is okay. it was always inevitable that there would be some failed births. its natural. i don't see this as a disaster at all.
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Very true. The media reports so far don't comment on Pornthip's condition.

It is to be hoped that Dr Thomas Hildebrand is in attendance.
 
Jay so far there has been no mention of the sex of the calf but torie may know something different.

Pornthip is doing ok and will be monitored around the clock. She is already spedning time with other members of the herd.
 
Very, very sad news. The Taronga staff, the herd and Porntip herself, I'm sure, will be taking this setback very hard.

Hope that Porntip is well.
 
Sorry guys I don know anything more than you at this point. Mum is physically ok and dr Thomas was in attendance
 
I was at Taronga yesterday before the death was made public, all 4 cows and Luk Chai were in the upper paddock.

Staff and vets tried desperately with Dr Hildebrant, Porntip was in labour for four days however the calf was upside down. A first for Dr Hildebrant who believes in the wild both mother and calf certaintly would of died.

Staff are now focused on Porntip's health while the herd is in the grieving process though the dead calf has not been delivered the animals know the baby has died.

It can take anywhere up to a year for the calf to be delivered, which is truly saddening given the 22 month gestation, hard work and research put into this birth. However the 50% mortality rate was always brought into the equation.

Fingers crossed Luk Chai may get a playmate and Taronga's 2nd successful calf at the end of the year...
 
um - i would have thought that having a rotting corpse inside you its highly dangerous.... let alone for a year!
 
"It's likely she'll pass the dead calf out of her body in the coming weeks or even months, zoo vet Dr Larry Vogelnest says.

However, the process can take up to a year.

An elephant has the unique ability to compartmentalise a dead calf from the rest of its body, protecting the mother from infection or other illness, he added.

First-time elephant mothers suffer failed births in 50 per cent of cases."

taken from Taronga mourns death of baby elephant
 
Thanks torie.

BTW I'm not criticising here. I've never bred elephants so I'm on a steep learning curve with this sad experience. The only way to learn is to ask the questions.

The answers may be beneficial when the DDZ starts breeding elephants! LOL.

Let's hope that Pornthip is safely delivered of her baby and that her next pregnancy is more successful.

Have there been any negative comments from the antis?
 
a few, mostly the cramped city conditions are what caused the baby to be upside down... and calls for the elephants to all be moved to dubbo, no explanation as to what will happen with the 5 elephants already in dubbo....
 
torie said:
a few, mostly the cramped city conditions are what caused the baby to be upside down... and calls for the elephants to all be moved to dubbo, no explanation as to what will happen with the 5 elephants already in dubbo....
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Five elephants that have to occupy three separate enclosures! The anti's are always suggesting dubbo (like with saigon at perry's) it is clear they don't research anything before they make their comments.
 
yeah yeah... and the zoos spin their own **** too. you all know that.

both sides are just as ignorant as the other.
 
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