zoo priorities.. this is one thing that i actually respect steve irwin for - be sure that he builds the biggest elephant exhibit in the world. however, the elephants might just have to put up with him jumping into their pond (what is with the australia zoo obsession with wet khaki?!!!) and chasing them about all day. "elephants are super intellegent and magestic animals, but their brute stregnth commands respect - don't muck with it!" crikey, he give gives me the shits! anyhow, all i can say is that considering i think melbourne zoos elephant enclosure is too small, i am saddend to hear that taronga and aucklands will be even more inadequate. has anyone read the postings by membrers of the public on the taronga zoo website that supports the zoos [import] endevours? some of the comments of support actually contradict the zoos own mission statements! i for one am sick to death of hearing zoos harp on about the importance of captive breeding programs when the breeding program itself is compromised so often by the zoo's own agenda - like ALWAYS having an animal on display. the elephant issue is at the heart of my problems with this - should they truly wish to breed elephants then they should recognise that they connot provide adequate facilities at melbourne, taronga, auckland, perth or any other small zoo. captive breeding programs can be a wonderful tool in conservation of a species - but zoos are often not (though not always) the right place for it. i think zoo's claiming that this elephant import is going to directly benifit both the captive and wild elephants is both misleading and undermines the other realistic conservation projects that these zoo's are involved in. the truth is asian elephants, as a species, would greatly benifit from a well- managed captive breeding program here in australasia - but i believe the sort of decisions that are going on with this recent proposed import questions the zoos priorities. is breeding elephants really coming before simply displaying them? not if your planning on only holding females!!!
elephant issues just found this on the net. http://www.hsi.org.au/news_library_events/Elephants in Zoos/Ask_Zoos_Questions.htm it's a series of questions the humane society international have asked the ausralian zoo consortium regarding the elephant import. whilst i strongly agree with so many of the points brought up, others i find quite rediculous. of the "QUESTIONS ON ANIMAL WELFARE CONCERNS" the statement about europe and north america moving away from elephants in zoo's is inaccurate and misleading. yes, recently a number of zoo's have been criticised about their care of elephants and some zoo's have chosen to either temporarily or permanentlty close their exhibits, some 40 others in the US are planning elephant exhibit re-vamps and the zoo's are desperately trying to breed their elephants knowing that if they do not they will soon have none left as the population is aging. also i believe the comment about dubbo's climate being unsuitable to be quite incorrect. "QUESTIONS ON CONSERVATION BENEFIT" also made the stupid analogy of the program being like taking a wombat to siberia. every australasian zoo planning on holding elephants have a climate comparable to at least the cooler habitats within the natural distribution of the asian elephant. most of the other stuff i must admit i at least partially agree with considering the zoo's have not shown at any stage in their history that they are putting breeding before display. i also believe that the tens apon tens of millions being used on elephant exhibits would be better devoted to wild elephant conservation or facilities that at least were adeal for elephant breeding.
