I’m sorry, I worded it wrong. I meant, are they planning to bred them in the future, following the acquisition of a male.
And we all thought the National Zoo had the best kept secret in the country this year with their Sri Lankan leopard import! According to this site, the four females came from Taman Safari: 4 Gajah Dipinjamkan ke Australia,untuk Program Breeding This was the facility that Australia Zoo successfully imported the first Sumatran tigers out of Indonesia in decades, back in 2007 (a notable achievement). They’ve clearly maintained the connections they formed! The article makes reference to the elephants being sent as part of a breeding programme, and I doubt this is a throw away comment as the job advertisement made reference to this. Hopefully the import of a bull isn’t too far away.
Article Translation: “Four elephants from PT. Taman Safari Prigen - Pandaan, Pasuruan, East Java, named Megawati, Raflesia, Widya, and Christina were sent to Australia for a loan program. "Before being sent to Australia, the elephants have been quarantined since November 2018 at the Animal Quarantine Installation (IKH) of PT. TSI," Musyaffak Fauzi, Head of Surabaya Quarantine said in a written statement received in Surabaya, Tuesday, October 1, 2019. He explained, during the quarantine period, the quarantine parties of the two countries of Indonesia and Australia conducted joint observations and examinations. "The examination was carried out to determine the presence of parasites both ectoparasites and endoparasites, tuberculosis, surra, and haemorrhagic septicemia," he said. According to him, breeding loans or borrowing protected animals from a country are now common. "Borrowed means that for a certain period of time the animal is borrowed until it can reproduce in the borrowing country. The reproductive children will be handed over to their home country," he said. According to him, the loan was in accordance with the Regulation of the Minister of Forestry of the Republic of Indonesia Number: p.83 / menhut-ii / 2014 concerning Borrowing of Protected Wildlife Overseas Types for Breeding Loans. "In accordance with the quarantine period of approximately 1 (one) year, the four elephants are healthy and safe to be passed so that health certificates can be issued and elephants can be flown to Australia through Juanda International Airport - Sidoarjo," he said. During the trip to Australia the elephants were accompanied by 2 keepers from Taman Safari Indonesia and the Australian Zoo Veterinarian and the operational manager of Australia Zoo.”
Well this is incredible news, looks like I’ll be paying another visit to Australia Zoo sooner rather later! They received the elephants just in time for their 50th anniversary! Sumatran elephants are an interesting choice and will complement the zoo nicely (considering the Sumatran tigers are directly opposite the elephant enclosure). Video below for those interested: https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1921886821290361
It's so great to see them finally revealed & I'm in agreeance regarding the choice of names too toothlessjaws! lol
Considering this is Australia Zoo, those names are the best we could hope for. Also bear in mind names sound differently to other cultures. Megawati may sound like a very cheap lightbulb, but it actually means ‘cloud goddess’ and was the name of a former Indonesian president.
How come Australia Zoo has imported four elephants with relative ease, and Auckland Zoo can't even import one? Is Indonesia that much easier to deal with? If so, maybe Auckland should go this route since they are planning to do AI (I.e. having different sub species of Asian Elephant isn't an issue).
I’m purely speculating here in response to a previous comment about the future breeding plans and the requirement for a sumatran bull. After rumours of both Melbourne & Taronga deciding to retain their excess bulls instead of parting with them to Sydney Zoo, SZ may now be looking to join forces with AZ and house a Sumatran bull?? The head of Ungulates at SZ has previously worked with/under the directors of the Africa/Elephant program at AZ so there’s definitely history there... there are also rumours SZ plans to import a lone female from Europe (obviously, unconfirmed) so don’t see how or why that’s even a viable option... In regards to Auckland not being able to import, I have no idea. Maybe funding? Time will tell...
Makes sense. The animals are loaned, not owned by Australia Zoo. If correct this would indicate that they will not be part of the Australasian breeding program and that a sumatran bull (or semen) is expected to be imported. Thats good in a way since, being Sumatran elephants it would be a shame to hybridise them with the purebred mainland subspecies housed at Perth, Melbourne and Taronga.
If you look at Aucklands actions regarding elephants over the last 15 or so years it does nothing but indicate to me they have no real desire to play a role in the elephant breeding program. They have exactly what they wanted. 2 free-contact females.
They are the B. Indonesia names for the elephants no harm in that! Have not yet read any references to eventual import of male Sumatran nor the ages of those imported BTW in Indonesian papers.
Perhaps the elephants will be highlighted episode in a possibly season 3 of “Crikey! It’s the Irwin’s.” In other news, during the 50th anniversary the family plans on a new master plan after finishing the 10 year left behind by the late Steve Irwin.
An article from the zoo’s website announcing the arrival of the Sumatran elephants: Australia Zoo Welcomes Sumatran Elephants! According to the article, the elephants will be on display by Easter 2020.
I'm very interested to work out what the plan here is. The Indonesian press article implied the animals were on loan and that offspring would remain Indonesia's. But unlike pandas its pretty unethical to split up elephant herds and seperate females, especially daughters and mothers. And why wouldn't you import a young male now? have they no bull facilities built? why not? they've had years and years to do so. IAI with imported sumatran semen? I wanna know what the plan here is... (but I doubt the Irwins will answer). For everything I dislike about their approach, I'll give Australia Zoo this: I haven't even been there but I bet its overwhelming the best elephant exhibit in the country. The Irwins might short on taste but never on providing their animals space. And elephants need space....
I think the elephant enclosure is the same one they previously kept elephants in. After the last elephant left the enclosure has been used by a camel company, and their camels moved out shortly before the elephants arrived in the country.
For everything I dislike about their approach, I'll give Australia Zoo this: I haven't even been there but I bet its overwhelming the best elephant exhibit in the country. The Irwins might short on taste but never on providing their animals space. And elephants need space....[/QUOTE] You can use Google maps to see the off exhibit barn and 2 yards including the massive bush area they have just east of the off exhibit white rhino yards you can see for yourself how large it is ( the footage in the video a few posts above was taken in the middle of this bush paddock). Also one can see the new elephant barn has 3 doors, also 3 small dams just south of the yards! Then there is the old on show area which housed the former elephants!
