Elephants in Australia Dear fellow elephant lovers. From the discussions here, previous lists I had, and newsarticles on the net etc, Iv tried to llist all known elephants in Australia on the page Australia: Elephant exhibit locations New Zealand: New Zealand: Elephant exhibit locations Each location, and each individual is clickable. The total database includes over 2 000 elephants, from 75 countries and 591 location facilities. Im sure its not complete, and may include errors. Id be very happy for any corrections, feedback and other input. greetings, Dan
so your the guy who created that website! i saw it some years ago... some additional info at melbourne zoo both bong su and mek kapah came from penninsular malaysia. also dokkoon is not aka dakkoon with an "A". perth zoos three younger animals (ex tricia) all also came from penninsular malaysia.
NZ elephants currently correct , although there is discussion over the future of the circus elephant Auckland Zoo has 2 Asian females , Kashin and Burma
Thanx, corrected. Yes, I started the website back in 95, when there wasnt much at all on the net about elephants. Since then it sort of detoriated, mostly because I didnt had time to update it. It was really sad, and I was ashamed, but spend the last years training elephants in Zimbabwe, with no Internet, and home in Europe with my family, I made other priorites. But this winter I started to update the database, and I hope it will soon be as correct as possible. On Elephant Database - captive elephants worldvide is the start, and some statistics. On Elephants - facts and information about elephants is latest births and pregnant elephants.
Bad timing glyn - the chimps were off display for one day, while the works and keeping staff planted some new climbing trees and undertook some regular exhibit maintenance.
yeh it was bad timing, and the chimps are such a big attraction too. i wish the exhibit had been designed so that visitors could view the night dens/exercise area, as with the gorillas. speaking of the gorillas, this might seem cruel but i think on fine days they should be locked out of their day den. its dark, squashy from visitors perspective and if the whole point of keeping gorillas in zoos is education, well what sort of a take-home message is the zoo giving its visitors? that gorillas can be saved by keeping them in a living room. they should be out in their 'rainforest' so at least people make the connection between these animals and their dependence on this habitat.
@ Douanita, and @ DanKoehl, Not sure if you’re interested but here is the full history of Elephant’s at Auckland Zoo (note all are of Asian Elephant persuasion, not sure of sub-species, I'll let ya'll research that)… “What followed was an aggressive policy of expansion over the next few years, including the zoo's first animal star, the female Indian elephant, Jamuna, whose influence is still seen today by Jamuna plaza in the rear of the modern zoo”. (1923, first Elephant at the Zoo) “The zoo's first (and I believe only) male elephant arrived at the zoo in November 1930. Rajah stood eight feet three inches at the shoulder and was 13 years old coming from Hobart, Australia. Rajah spent six years in Auckland before his keeper began to lose control of him and he was put down, ironically by the future director of the Zoo Lt. Col. Sawer, (this was considered more humane than being chained up for the rest of his life). It transpired that Rajah's unpredictable nature was due to a lit cigarette being put up his truck by a patron while still in Hobart. Rajah amazing bulk is on display at the Auckland War Memorial Museum”. “Tradegy stuck the zoo twice in 1954 first with the death of Albert Barnett the zoo foreman. Barnett died after a finger became infected in what was initially thought to be a minor injury sustained at work. In August another staff member, 65 year old Frank Lane, who had also worked at the zoo since it's opening like Barnett, was killed in a much publicised accident. Lane had just fed a young elephant, Kassala (not sure when she arrived, I believe she was a female Indian Elephant, refer below as I can only find one mention of her), and was climbing back through the rails between the stalls when Jamuna swung her truck knocking him into the wall and killing him instantly. Barnett had been Jamuna's regular keeper and it was reported she had been upset since his death. It is believed Lane's death was the result of a tragic accident rather than a deliberate attack. Jamuna spent the rest of her life without incident”. “In September 1965 the zoo's star Elephant Jamuna died. She was believed to be approximately 50 years old and carried over 750,000 guests”. “In April 1968, Ma Schwe, a female (I believe Indian) Elephant came as a replacement for Jamuna”. “Kashin, the female Indian Elephant arrived from Como Zoo in the US in 1973, she is still at the Zoo in the (present day) Animal Planet Elephant Clearing”. “A year later (1987) the Elephant, Ma Schwe died suddenly due to acute heart failure”. “The other of the two current female Indian Elephants at the zoo, Burma arrived in 1990, with the Elephant Clearing beginning construction soon after. It is large moated enclosure with a modern Elephant house and pool in which the animals can completely submerge”. Hope this helps… Please note almost all of this (read all of this) is taken from Derek Wood’s book, A Tiger by the Tail, A History of Auckland Zoo 1922 – 1992… However Wood was the director of Auckland Zoo from late in the year of 1960 to the late 1980’s and came from the world renouned Chester Zoo. The book is meticously researched (from what I can tell) with many photo's of period newspaper articles and early zoo guides, it a great read if you can find it on Amazon, etc… The only Elephant that seems a bit of an enigma is Kassala (I may have missed her arrival while typing though, not sure where she came from, where she went, when she was born, or died...?)
more reports in todays national newspapers celebrating the welfare of Taronga and Melbournes' elephant herds. see the daily telegraphs' website for full details
... if it was a 'rainforest' it would be fine, but its just a bare rocky former Panda exhibit with no(?) overhead shelter for them to retreat under. You'd be subjecting them to more stress with this wish...
Pertinax, the gorilla habitat at Taronga Zoo is not a rocky former panda exhibit....it is located on the same site and retained some of the original features but it certainly is not barren or bare. the exhibit contains several mature trees ranging from figs to palms, as well as significant stands of shrubs and deadfall. in fact, around two thirds of the exhibit is under shade for the most part of the day. only the western end closest to the dens is not under tree cover-thats where the gorilla tend to hang out the most. the gorillas at Taronga are managed incredibly well...this is recognised internationally and is vindicated by the number of births in the Kibabu troop. but truly, one of the most frustrating aspects of this exhibit is that the animals do have access to the dens year round and in all weather, and i do believe this is a bit of a problem from a visitors perspective.
quite simply the hagenbeck style of the enclosure is unliked by the animals. its not very large, but more importantly its not very deep. this, along with the design (water moat) all lends to a very indiscreet lifestyle for the gorillas. i think locking them out is not really addressing the true issue here: that the gorillas do not feel comfortable in their exhibit. as nicely landscaped as it is its just never really been suitable.
What kind of exhibit do they do well in..? The larger enclosures with mock rock surronding them and small glass windows for viewing..?
Maybe something like they have at Howletts zoo where they thrive there, they have the most sucessfull Gorllia breeding program in the zoo world, I think they have bred over 100 now. Tarongas Silverback was Howletts bred.
"mock rock" is for our own asthtic benifit and has no advantage to the gorillas (except for a potential escape route). larger space however is of course a massive benifit to intellegent animals with complex social groups like gorillas. its important that the animals not only have the freedom to remove themselves from public view but also from the view of other gorillas. grant has mentioned that they tend to feel insecure in open spaces and that a good cover ove tall trees (ie; canopy overhead) makes a difference. whilst yes it is true that western gorillas do inhabit forest clearings in the wild, it is for short periods and the security of the forest is always nearby. thus i would not be surprised if this was a very true statement as well. glass is also for the publics benifit, but it may be benificial in the sense that it might to a degree block out sound. interestingly, unlike tarongas gorillas who always seem to position themselves as far away from the public as possible, melbournes gorillas tend to often centralise themselves around the main glass viewing area, very close to the public. this may have something to do with the fact that this area is covered by large matured trees. or it may be that the gorillas feel more comfortable in general, having a larger, more private enclosure.
Am I to assume you believe the Gorillas mental state, breeding, etc. is the same whether they are kept; behind bars, rather than something at least giving some appearance of a naturalistic setting, i.e. mock rock, given everything else in the exhibit is consistent..?
moreso i'm saying, if the attractiveness of the wall is being considered as something that significantly impacts the gorillas life then i think the poor gorilla(s) have a lot more serious issues than that. its about one of the least priority things i can think of in term of the true quality of life of the enclosures inhabitants. whats more important to me is not whether the enclosure is barred, moated or mock-rock walled - its whats inside it. tarongas exhibit has a gorgeous natural rockface as a backdrop. melbourne has high, unsculpted concrete walls. but there is little argument as to which zoo provides its gorillas with a better exhibit (that of course excludes rigo, fresh outta gunatanamo).
While I agree what is inside: vegetation, enrichment and animal-only areas are the most important thing for Gorillas, I disagree that their method of containment is almost a triviality (as seems to be your opinion)... Earlier in this thread someone stated (not me) that the moat in Taronga's enclosure seemed to scare (for lack of a better term) the animals... Do you disagree with this..? I also disagree that having bars rather than mock rock would have a neglible effect on the animals... People enjoy it because it looks natural, surely subconsequencely it would effect the Gorillas too..? You use the example of Melbourne but isn't much larger amongst other things..? Basically the point I'm trying to make/question I'm asking is: Do you not believe the troop at Melbourne would be more successful if it had mock rock rather than concrete..?
