I can fully respect that. You may not be able to answer the following question: should we anticipate this zoo continuing to go downhill? What an incredible shame Molly Badham and Nathalie Evans's hard work is all being undone.
Twycross Zoo Twycross Zoo news 2012 #3
- Thread starter Gigit
- Start date
zoogiraffe
Well-Known Member
Well lets jst say I'm not going to hold my breath over it taking major steps forward!As in 2010 they release a Vision Statement 2010,saying what they expected to achieve within 5 years one of which was to be in the Worlds Top 15 Zoos,as you can see from the progress they are well on the way to achieving that!!
sooty mangabey
Well-Known Member
Really? What makes you say this? It would seem very odd, given the recent investment in their enclosure - although nothing would surprise me with this zoo, of course.
I am clearly not as clued up on Twycross as I thought I was after reading comments here. It seems strange that they would get rid of their elephants. Wouldn't that be bad move for them? Elephants bring visitors in to zoos. A zoo needs visitors for income. I haven't seen the new elephant house but it sounds like it was a significant investment. Would they really get rid of their elephants after constructing this new enclosure at some cost? Where would the elephants go? I'm guessing, but I suspect that a zoo's collection plan is a confidential document not available outside the institution. (I saw one once but cannot recall for which zoo.)
@chimpman, it may well be that the EAZA/EEP species committee and studbook holder will call TWZ to account on their facility and type of management/husbandry (in particular the no bull on site). Eventually, this might lead to individual elephants having to be moved to a full breeding / cooperative institution that has a bull facility.
To seasoned Twycross watchers that statement, unfortunately, sums up the place perfectly.
While I find the interest and concern for this zoo from the members of zoo chat to be most genuine, I do think in fairness to the management of Twycross,that the recent suggestion that the Asian elephants may be leaving the collection is at this stage, just a rumour,the zoo itself has not made any public announcement concerning this, I do, however, respect the fact that the member who suggested this is most knowledgeable regarding this zoo, and has/had a great respect for Twycross, we'll just have to wait and see, hopefully it will not happen,as previously stated,after all the work that has been done at Twycross elephant house in recent times, but you never know, IF it does happen, personally I think it will be a disaster for the zoo,
Its possible they are facing the reality of the situation with two failed births/calves and no Bull.
It might be a disaster for the Zoo if they left, but as discussed many times previously, for the Elephants it would be a plus if they were then kept with a breeding bull, so that any of the females that can still breed, can do so naturally without AI procedures etc.
Just a comment, and that said, I have no idea if this rumour has any foundation or not, though I rather hope so. I have no objection to Twycross keeping older/non-breeding females however, as the housing is fine, potentially the best in the Zoo really.
Jordan-Jaguar97
Well-Known Member
I really much doubt they'd send them away. I wonder if Twycross are planning A.I. again? I also hope if they were moved that Woburn would be the ideal location with a excellent facility and a bull then it would be ideal.
AI costs thousands.... and as Twycross have learnt the hard way this year, it doesn't always equal a successful birth. They've got to ask themselves, can they really afford it again? If the financial situation is as bad as it sounds right now, then I think not..
Another (possibly cheaper) option might be to temporarily split the herd up and loan the younger cows out to somewhere with a breeding bull (Pretty much what they did before with Tonzi and Mimbu) but it's finding somewhere that is willing to take them and get very little in return for it. Another issue is that Twycross still work there elephants in full contact. The cows in question are going to have to either go to a collection that still works in full contact (there are some obviously, but it does limit choices as far as placing them) or they will have to change to protected contact whilst they are away. But I'd expect Twycross to have issues with them on return if they'd been in protected contact for a number of months only to then have to swap back suddenly
Haven't been to Twycross for a while so my memory of the layout is hazy... but there is no chance they could convert/build on the land of the vacant Giraffe house to create a bull facility?
Remember Woburn's bull has yet to prove himself naturally, so far he's only been an 'AI' sire.
but there is no chance they could convert/build on the land of the vacant Giraffe house to create a bull facility?
The story used to be that they didn't want to keep/ couldn't handle a bull elephant which is why they never built anything for one. Whether their position on this has changed in recent time I don't know.
Jordan-Jaguar97
Well-Known Member
I believe they are moving their Elephants into 'Protected Contact' - Yes Woburn's bull has not officially produced a calf naturally however he has through A.I. maybe it's time for Twycross to do something about their current four Elephant cows. All four females can be bred from, the eldest females 'Minbu' and 'Tonzi' have both bred calves 'Karishma' (ZSL Whipsnade) and 'Tara' (Twycross) both offspring of 'Chang'. Every single female has bred although some not successfully.
IMO I think they should do as Pertinax says move them to a breeding group which have a proven bull. They should house old (Non-breeding) females or young bachelor males. Either way they should do something about their current situation.
Twycross' Elephants have gone into Protected Contact:
Taken from Job Description for a New Elephant Keeper
mazfc
Well-Known Member
The old sealions enclosure has been filled in and is being converted for them