And now for the spring thread! It sounds as though Colchester now has a baby ardvark and soon a baby elephant!
Boing well the aardvarks have certainly put the new burrow to go use, and must be so much better for the male not to be completely kicked out, just moved next door What we need now is a baby elephant running round the paddock again seems ages since the boys left!! Spring already still time to enjoy the zoo before the summer madness
tut @ Pertinax They are probably going to move Roland and his family into the new nature area and build them little fake rock tunnels into their burrows
I think shocking is over the top. After all its only the visitors (especially certain zoochatters) that really mind it.
No baby elephant this time sadly. Opal has lost and retained the calf according to a press release from the zoo. Colchester Zoo News: Colchester Zoo Sad to Announce End of the Line for Elephant Birth
One definite point in Colchester's favour is that they are always admirably upfront when things don't go to plan.
A real shame that this has happened yet again with Colchester's Elephants . Am I correct in thinking that female Elephants can hold back on giving birth if they do not feel comfortable with their situation ? Has this happened elsewhere in the UK ?
Just seen the news on facebook Terrible outcome for the second time in a row. With people saying on facebook the elephant house was closed and talk of her giving birth, I was hoping it was not going wrong for Colchester again. As long as Opal comes out of it healthy I suppose that it some consolation. Hopefully not a daft question, do elephants mourn/get depressed after something like this happening, as they do when a member of the herd dies?
This is what happens when elephants who are older then in their early 20th are bred. I can`t understand why they even tried it, given the vast amount of bad experiences with nulliparous females in Opal`s age (stillbirth after stillbirth with ocassional deaths of both mother and calf!!). Pray that Opal survives, that the calf remains in utero is at least a good sign. It`s far worse when a calf is stuck in the birth channel.
Zola passed her calf six months after it had died, if the calf does not break up (i assume this can lead to infection!!!) they can mummify. Press Information: Colchester Zoo saddened by the loss of Zola the African elephant?s calf
Yes, they are probably the most upfront of all UK zoos and do give the most indepth press/public information in situations like this. As Yassa pointed out,and despite their explanations on this point, the risks are always much higher in cows which are fully mature when they conceive for the first time. Opal needs to pass her dead calf safely before they can consider whether to try to breed from her again. The veterinary opinion seems to be that 2nd births are far more successful so they do intend to try again if things go okay with her. I'm wondering if there is something in the birth process- increased pain/shock?- for these older cows, which causes them to 'shut down' and refuse to go through with it. It is a sad outcome anyway.
I would say it was worth a try with cow Opal at Zoo Colchester. I dunno think that the decision to breed from her was taken lightly and was taken in close consultation with the Species Coordinator (now: Zoo Schoenbrunn in Wien). I further concur that we can only learn by example and alas sometimes in hindsight ... (to my mind: there really exists no in situ research on the last advisable successful conception date beyond an elephant cow's reproductive tract subsides to be able to promote her breeding). We learn only by citing our successes and failures, perhaps this will precipitate another re-evaluation of breeding recommendations for the 20-25 elephant cows.
The calf will stay inside her until she delivers it. This can take months, years or sometimes simply nevers happens in the mothers lifetime. This happend at Colchester 2 years ago with Zola. She delivered the dead calf about 8 months after the initail labour began.
