Australian and ( NZ) Elephants news and discussion

I figured as @marmolady started a thread for great apes in Australasia than why not create a thread for elephants too. In this thread you can post news,updates and pretty much any information that is worth sharing to other Zoochaters.

 

Here is a list of all the elephants in the Australasian region:
( All this information was found on Captive breeding of elephants in Australasian Region)
Perth zoo
Tricia-(F) B 1957 wild Singapore
Putra Mas-(M) B 1989 wild Malaysia
Permai-(F) B 1989 wild Malaysia

Melbourne zoo
Mek Kapah-(F) B 1978 wild Malaysia
Dokkon-(F) B 1993 wild Thailand
Kulab-(F) B 2000 wild Thailand
Num-Oi -(F) B 2001 wild Thailand
Mali-(F) B 16/1/2010 Melbourne zoo, Bong su x Dokkon
Man Jai-(M) B 8/12/2013 Melbourne zoo, Bong Su x Dokkon

Taronga zoo
Pak Boon-(F) B 1992 wild Thailand
Tang Mo-(F) B 1999 wild Thailand
Jai Dee-(M) B 28/5/2017 Taronga zoo, Gung x Pak Boon

Taronga Western plains zoo
Gigi-(F) B 1958 wild ( came from a circus)
Burma-(F) B 1959 wild (came from a circus)
Porntip-(F) B 1992 wild Thailand
Thong Dee-(F) B 1997 wild Thailand
Gung-(M) B 2000 wild Thailand
Luk Chai-(M) B 4/7/2009 Taronga zoo, Gung x Thong Dee
Pathi Harn- (M) B 10/3/2010 Taronga zoo, Bong Su x Porntip
Sabai- (M) B 2/11/2016 Taronga Western plains zoo, Gung x Thong Dee
Kanlaya-(M) B 14/6/2018 Taronga western plains zoo, Putra Mas x Porntip

Auckland zoo
Burma-(F) B 1982 wild Myanmar
Anjalee-(F) B 2006 wild Sri Lanka

 

Just a slight correction that Anjalee was born at the Dehiwela zoo in Sri Lanka rather than the wild.

 

Anjalee was born on August 23, 2009 at Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage.
There are two other Elephants in Australia I am aware of.
*Sabu (Female, Born Wild Thailand~1958), who was formally at Australia Zoo, and is now with the people who own her (The Bullens Family).
*Saigon (Born Wild~1955) who is a retired Perry Bros Circus Elephant.

If anyone has any information on either of these Elephants. Are they still alive and well? Date of Death, if so. I am pretty sure Sabu is still alive, I’m not sure about Saigon. Any Information would be welcome.

Also, I think some of the Elephants that were imported to Australia from Thailand in 2006 (Taronga, Taronga Western Plains, Melbourne) are captive born. ??

Good Thread, btw.

 

A couple of notes:

1. Auckland zoo and Captive breeding of elephants in Australasian Region state that Anjalee was born on August 23 2006?? Where did you find your info?

2. The last record of Saigon i have is from 2016: Treatment of circus animals leaves a lot to be desired

3. It states that Dokkon, Kulab and Num-Oi were born in captivity but it dosen’t state the facility that they were born at. Though i know Thong Dee was a street elephant, i’m not sure about the others.

 

Oops, yeah it’s 2006, I copied and pasted that sentence from a New Zealand Herald article (Auckland Zoo welcomes new elephant Anjalee), without thinking / realising their mistake.


Given that Anjalee is now 12 years old and the Nandi Import is on hold / not getting anywhere for now, I hope Auckland Zoo (Andrew Coers, Kevin Buley) is planning an AI procedure in the near future (preformed by the Fantastic Guys at IZW-Berlin) with Semem from Oz, maybe Putra Mas of Perth Zoo’s Semen as he is trained in semen collection already, his genetics are important etc... It’s exactly the same as they did with Porntip at Western Plains, just getting on a flight to Auckland instead of Sydney with the fresh semen at a time when Anjalee is ovulating. Surely, it can’t be that hard to import a small quantity of Asian Elephant seman. Being New Zealand, they must have lots of cow bull semen being flown in all the time for Dairy Farming. The main thing is they don’t leave it too late for Anjalee’s first pregnancy or else she may not be able become a mother and make a herd/family for her at Auckland.

Melbourne and Taronga should be doing AI Procedures on all of their reproductive females (Dokkon, Kulab, Num-Oi, Mali \\ Pak Boon, Tang Mo), while Gung at Taronga Western Plains is hopefully getting all thereproductive females there pregnant with natural mating. If the Zoos really want to grow the sizes of their herds (which improves the social dynamics, it is what we all want, multi-generational Related large-ish Elephant Herds), they have to go ‘all in’ with the breeding. All Reproductive Cows should be having a calf every three years. The Asian Elephant Breeding Program in the Aus-NZ Region has been quite successful over the last ten years but it could be better. The Growing Population of Elephants in the Region allows for new breeding / bachelor herds to be formed at other zoos in the Region (Australia Zoo, Perth Zoo, Werribee Open Range Zoo, Adelaide Zoo, National Zoo - Canberra, Hamilton Zoo etc...)

Also, does anyone know where the Elephants for the New ‘Sydney Zoo’ in Western Sydney are coming from. I’m interesting to know, as I am sure others are. Send me a Private message. It will stay private, of course.

 

I don’t think Anjalee will be impregnated via AI in any time soon. She is currently 12 years old and i believe with Nandi’s import getting further and further away the zoo will only hold 2 female elephants in their herd. If AI is performed, I believe that the stress that will be really heavy on Burma and Anjalee. Burma being a non-experienced machriach and Anjalee being a first time mother means that there is not enough experience and help in the group to look for the calf. If they do desire to breed Anjalee than maybe more females in the group is an option to go to first. Obviously if they can’t import more females before Anjalee is gone past 14-15 than just AI in the hopes of being able to breed her.

I believe the best option for Melbourne’s herd is to import Putra Mas to the zoo. This will give Man-Jai the opportunity to be mentored by an older, mature bull ( as their previous bull, Bong Su did to his song Ongard). It will also give Dokkon, Kulab, Num-Oi and Mali the opportunity to naturally breed with Putra Mas. I think the best option for Taronga though is to just export their elephants to Taronga western plains zoo. This will give Pak Boon the chance to breed again with Gung and would reunite Jai Dee with calf’s his age eg: Sabai, Kanlaya. If Taronga wants to keep elephants, than I would say export Gigi and Burma to the Taronga to retire and once they have passed on than Taronga can just hold surplus individuals while keeping breeding at TWPZ.

 

As of a year ago, the plan was still to breed with Anjalee. I think with this is probably more of a focus than ever now the import of Nandi seems unlikely as it's the only way to increase the herd size without imports. I think Burma will cope admirably, but you might have a point about Anjalee. I don't know what experience, if any, she has with calves; though coming from an orphanage of over 70 elephants, I'd imagine she has more exposure to calves than a lot of females her age.

 

Auckland Zoo

Asian Elephants (Complete History):

Jamuna (F)
Born in the wild (India) 00/00/1917
Arrived at Auckland Zoo 07/06/1923
Died at Auckland Zoo 02/09/1965

Rajah (M)
Born in the wild (Myanmar) 00/00/1917
Arrived at Auckland Zoo 00/06/1930
Died at Auckland Zoo 09/03/1936

Kassala (F)
Born in the wild (Unknown) 00/00/1945
Arrived at Auckland Zoo 01/05/1952
Sent to Bullens Circus 30/12/1957

Malini (F)
Born in the wild (India) 00/00/1953
Arrived at Auckland Zoo 04/08/1961
Died at Auckland Zoo 27/02/1971

Ma Schwe (F)
Born in the wild (Thailand) 00/00/1964
Arrived at Auckland Zoo 30/10/1968
Died at Auckland Zoo 02/08/1982

Kashin (F)
Born at Dusit Zoo (Thailand) 00/00/1968
Arrived at Auckland Zoo 00/00/1972
Died at Auckland Zoo 24/08/2009

Burma (F)
Born at a logging camp (Myanmar) 00/00/1982
Arrived at Auckland Zoo 18/05/1990
Still at Auckland Zoo

Anjalee (F)
Born at Pinnewala (Sri Lanka) 23/08/2006
Arrived at Auckland 21/06/2015
Still at Auckland Zoo

African Elephants (Complete History):

Koru (F)
Born in the wild (Unknown) 00/00/1980
Arrived at Auckland Zoo 04/04/1983
Died at Auckland Zoo 26/07/1983

Videos:

Kashin and Burma (early 1990s):



Note the elephant house (used to house elephants until 1992) in the background at the start and end of the video; as well as use of the enclosed elephant pool (used by the elephants from the 1920s to the early 1990s).

Jamuna (1940s/1950s):



Note the elephant pool at 0.21.

 

HISTORY OF WELLINGTON ZOO ELEPHANTS

Neelikutha
Born in the wild (Unknown)
Arrived 00/01/1927 from Madras zoo (Moore market complex)
Died 15/8/1944 from intestinal ulcers

Maharanee
Born in the wild (Unknown)
Arrived 00/00/1949 (from unknown)
Died 01/01/1961 from Foot problems

Kamala
Born in the wild (Unknown)
Arrived 06/07/1953 (from unknown)
Died 13/06/1983 from colic

Sheba (Nirvana)
Born in the wild 00/00/1967 (Unknown)
Arrived 7/4/1970 from Unknown
Departed 00/08/1973 to Ridgeway circus

 

Do you know why they sold Nirvana? Her export would have left Kamala on her own, until her death 10 years later.

 

I believe the reason they sold Kamala was the lack of space the zoo had. Around that time too there was also a lot of dispute about even having elephants at the zoo. So when Ridgeway circus offered to Import Kamala, Wellington was happy to let her go. The reason that Wellington never got a replacement for Kamala was from public backlash about elephants at the zoo and if they did attempt to import a replacement than the situation would have very much been like Nandi`s situation at Auckland zoo now.

 

That makes sense, I remember reading a sign at the zoo explaining why they no longer have elephants (a lack of space). And yes, I believe Auckland Zoo had a lot of trouble importing a number of their Asian elephants around that same time, including Burma (who arrived 1990). Maybe that's why Auckland Zoo imported an African elephant calf in 1983? Kashin was reportedly extremely fond of this calf, but indifferent to Burma (an adolescent) when she arrived.

 

ELEPHANT HISTORY AT MELBOURNE ZOO

Rani (F)
Born in the wild (India) 00/00/1881
Arrived 00/03/1883 from India
Died 15/12/1903

Miss Siam (F)
Born in the wild (India) 00/00/1881
Arrived 00/03/1883 from India
Departed 2/1/1884 to Adelaide zoo

Quennie (F)
Born in the wild (India) 00/00/1900
Arrived 03/03/1902 from India
Died 22/6/1945 from food shortage

Ranee (F)
Born in the wild (Unknown) estimated to be early 1900’s
Arrived (Unknown)
Departed 00/11/1905 to Eronis circus

Betty (F)
Born in the wild (Unknown) 00/00/1931
Arrived 19/1/1939 from Mayfields and Kennels and zoo (H.H.de Souza)
Died 25/9/1973

Peggy (F)
Born in the wild (Unknown) 00/00/1931
Arrived 19/1/1939 from Mayfields and Kennels and zoo (H.H.de Souza)
Died 30/10/1988

Alice (F)
Born in the wild (Unknown) 1891
Arrived 01/11/1952 from Wirth circus
Departed 01/12/1952 to Wirth circus

Unknown (F)
Born in the wild (Unknown)
Arrived 01/02/1953 from Wirth Circus
Departed 01/04/1953 to Wirth circus

Bong Su (M)
Born in the wild (Malaysia) 08/03/1974
Arrived 01/02/1977 from Kuala Gandah elephant conservation education centre
Died 9/10/2017 from degenerative joint disease

Mek Kapah (F)
Born in the wild (Malaysia) 00/00/1973
Arrived 11/05/1978 from Negara national zoo
Still at Melbourne zoo

Dokkoon (F)
Captive-born (Thailand) 00/00/1993
Arrived 05/11/2006 from Cocos island animal quarantine station
Still at Melbourne zoo

Kulab (F)
Captive- born (Thailand) 00/00/2000
Arrived 05/11/2006 from Cocos island animal quarantine station
Still at Melbourne zoo

Num-Oi (F)
Captive-born (Thailand) 00/00/2001
Arrived 05/11/2006 from Cocos island animal quarantine station
Still at Melbourne zoo

Mali (F) Bong Su x Dokkoon
Captive born (Melbourne zoo) 16/1/2010
Still at Melbourne zoo

Ongard (M) Bong Su x Kulab
Captive-born (Melbourne zoo) 10/9/2010
Departed 09/05/2018 to Miami zoo

Sanook (M) Bong Su x Num-Oi
Captive-born (Melbourne zoo) 16/01/2013
Died 03/12/2013 from suffocation

Man-Jai (M) Bong Su x Dokkoon
Captive-born (Melbourne zoo) 08/12/2013
Still at Melbourne zoo

Willow (F) Putra Mas x Num-Oi
Captive-born (Melbourne zoo) 16/06/2016
Died 02/08/2016 from staphylococcus infection

 

It amazes me how common it was for a zoo to keep a single female Asian elephant back in the day. I suppose this was largely due to the cost of feeding such a large animal, combined with a lack of knowledge of their social structure; as was the same for many animals, chimpanzees and gorillas for example were often kept in 1.1 pairs. Rajah was imported by the Auckland Zoo as a companion for Jamuna; nowdays we know that bulls live separate from the herd and Jamuna would likely have appreciated another female instead.

Still, I can't help but feel the fact a zoo only had one elephant, meant that it had a higher public profile/following. The average person I meet in everyday life doesn't know the name of Auckland Zoo's elephants, let alone the names of those in Australian herds. Whereas decades ago, elephants like Jamuna (Auckland Zoo) and Kamala (Wellington Zoo) were household names. This could partly be attributed to the relative novelty of seeing an elephant in a zoo, something people are more inclined to take for granted this day and age.

 

I believe the best option for Melbourne’s herd is to import Putra Mas to the zoo. This will give Man-Jai the opportunity to be mentored by an older, mature bull ( as their previous bull, Bong Su did to his song Ongard). It will also give Dokkon, Kulab, Num-Oi and Mali the opportunity to naturally breed with Putra Mas. I think the best option for Taronga though is to just export their elephants to Taronga western plains zoo. This will give Pak Boon the chance to breed again with Gung and would reunite Jai Dee with calf’s his age eg: Sabai, Kanlaya. If Taronga wants to keep elephants, than I would say export Gigi and Burma to the Taronga to retire and once they have passed on than Taronga can just hold surplus individuals while keeping breeding at TWPZ.[/QUOTE]

One does not have to be 12 inches across the fore head to have seen that having a herd of Elephants at Taronga and in Melbourne zoo was never going to work out long term and should never have been placed there in the first place. Western Plains zoo and Werribee was always going to be the best option for a breeding and growing herd, Even as many may know London zoo moved its animals out to Whipsnade to much more room and freedom plus into a now breeding herd.Money wasted just to say they had elephants. Perth is doing the right thing moving it few remaining animals out to other collections I just wished that the bull had been going out to Werribee if they had built some exhibit there some year ago.

 

As informed by @Elephant Enthusiast in the Perth zoo news thread, Tricia the elephant has died and Permai and Putra Mas will be exported to other zoos soon.

 

I don't believe Tricia has passed away yet. The plan regarding the exportation of the other elephants, will occur when she passes.

 

As @WhistlingKite24 said, Tricia indeed is still alive and Permai and Putra Mas’s exports will follow her death.