The Elephants » Longleat Safari Park

The Elephants
07-10-2008

As many people know, Longleat's five elephants left for Zoo Parc de Beauval in France five years ago, as Longleat was unable to retain their breeding bull successfuly as he went into musth. For me this was tragic: Elephants are my favourite animals and the park was the nearest place for me to see them.

Discuss them here, and whether it is possible for elephants to return. I'd always imagined using a cow-only herd, possibly investigating into artificial insemination in order to breed.

07-10-2008

Female elephants in breeding age are extremely difficult to aquire today. The EEP won`t give young females - neither african or asian elephants - to a zoo that is not able to keep at least 1 bull elephant.

And I think that is the right way to go, especially since AI is not only expensive and labor-intensive for the keepers, but also traumatic for females (who have to stand still for prolonged times and accept strangers working around them) and it produces mainly bull calves. These bull calves will mature quickly and the zoo will need accommodation for bulls rather sooner then later after the birth of a bull calf! So why not building a bull barn first and save all the money for AI?

07-10-2008

Heh, you got me there. Let's say I'm not the best when it comes to breeding elephants; should see my try it.

Yeh, I suppose they could be able to build a bull corral, should be sufficient space in a place like Longleat.

07-10-2008

On Animal Park the Land Manager of the Safari Park gave the building of a bull corral as the reason they got rid of the elephants - they said it went against the whole Safari Park 'ethos'

Sorry, but I just cant see Longleat ever re-acquiring elephants.

07-10-2008

It is not very likely, I agree.
Can you explain me why building a bull corral would be against the park`s "ethos"? What is wrong with that?

07-10-2008

If i remember correctly (it was perhaps 2 years ago i saw the animal park episode, though i believe i remember it quite well) the land manager said that Longleat was founded on the principle of exhibiting animals in large, open spaces, and that a bull corral would not allow that to happen.

The whole situation arose because the bull 'Limbo' was reaching full maturity and was already being seperated from the herd regurlarly.

08-10-2008

i dont see it as tragic, it was most probably for the best!

and seeing the elephants go has made room for the bongos, vultures and flamingos

08-10-2008

But I would think most of the public would prefer to see the elephants.
And that's quite hypocritical, considering one of the rhino's spends most of his time in a corral outside the old elephant house.

08-10-2008

agree totally with that, the elephants were obviously brought in as a crowd puller in the first place. Maybe the cost was the real reason.

08-10-2008

i forgot about the old rhino bull winston, yes he is kept in a corral!

08-10-2008

In fact, all the rhinos are kept in the corral at some point: Winston takes turns to go in the paddock whilst the younger three have to remain in the corral. I saw both of these swaps on each of my two visits to Longleat this year, just to prove.

So yeah, they're acting hypocritcal on their 'free-roaming' point.

08-10-2008

But in their defence, its rather different managing the rhinos and having to alternate them in small areas, to deliberately setting up a bull elephant enclosure knowing he couldn't be at large in a free-range area, which would be more blatantly a contradiction of their stated policy.

08-10-2008

Heh, I join and most of my posts come with critiscm.

What if the bull paddock itself was large, but not drive-through? I believe that's how Knowlsey do it, so I can't see why Longleat can't.

08-10-2008

I wasn't criticising, I agree with you
I think they should have kept their elephants. Potentially they could have had a breeding herd in a huge enclosure, what with all that land spare.

08-10-2008

Also, if they objected to building a Bull Elephant corral, isnt it a little hypocritical to then send the elephants to a facility containing one?

The Elephants were sent to Zooparc Beauval in France, i remember seeing the animal park episode detailing the elephant move, and the facilities looked very good, does anyone know more about the setup there? couldnt find any pictures in the galley of it (Surely it must have some kind of bull corral though?).

I also particularly remember in that episode how distraut the Longleat Elephant keepers were, it was very sad:-(