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Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium News 2017

Discussion in 'United States' started by pachyderm pro, 31 Dec 2016.

  1. Echobeast

    Echobeast Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    I don't think the issue was ever that the calf was premature. The issue was that mom wasn't producing milk and wasn't showing motherly behaviors so the calf was moved to hopefully integrate with the herd at the zoo. Even if you don't agree with how they care for elephants (I have issues with free contact myself), saying that the calf is being used as money grab is just dumb considering it was off viewing for weeks.
     
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  2. loxodonta

    loxodonta Well-Known Member

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    Considering the calf was less than 24 hours at the ICC (and minimal attempt was made to put calf and mother together), the herd at zoo doesn't all get along like the zoo would like you to believe and talks of moving Seeni to the zoo long before she gave birth to me shows the zoo is not the most honest facility and that money was a motivation. And side note, I believe FC is more appropriate than PC when dealing with elephants
     
  3. loxodonta

    loxodonta Well-Known Member

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    and teething and being premature is what Dr. Baker and the zoo have been spewing the last 3 plus months, so don't tell me that is not the agenda they are trying to push
     
  4. Echobeast

    Echobeast Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    I doubt the care the calf is receiving at the zoo is any different than the care she'd receive at the sanctuary. I still have issue with your initial statement saying the calf should be euthanized when neither you or anyone else that isn't part of the staff has enough information to make such a statement.
     
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  5. natel12

    natel12 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Just thought you should know the surgery was successful
     
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  6. natel12

    natel12 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    So the siamang has been separated from Merlin and leela because she was Attacked by Merlin and the two gibbons both rejected her. The baby is currently alive and well. As for the sea otter exhibit, it is being redone again
     
  7. loxodonta

    loxodonta Well-Known Member

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    The elephant calf was euthanized. I'm sure the zoo with release something soon
     
  8. Loxodonta Cobra

    Loxodonta Cobra Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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  9. natel12

    natel12 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Very sad for everyone in the zoo family, I wish I took pictures the two times I saw her. :(
     
  10. Yassa

    Yassa Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Whatever you think of the elephant program at Pittsburgh, the emphasis of the zoo that the unability of the calf to gain weight and ultimately her death were related to problems due to "teething" is ridiculous and misleading. Mother-reared calves never have such problems and never die due to malnutrition while "teething". Same for the suggested "low birth weight" - which wasn`t low, but perfectly normal.

    I have looked at the outcome of handraising elephant calves in zoos from day one after birth, and what happened to this baby is typical, especially to african elephant calves - failure to thrive due to the lack of maternal milk and the unsuitability of the the articifical milk.

    Hand raised elephant calves of both species very rarely survive, that`s a sad fact.
    Which makes it incredibly strange that the Pittsburgh zoo didn`t put more time and effort into getting Seeni to care for her calf and moved her to the zoo that soon. That should have been number one priority. Even if Seeni had never nursed her, just being around the calf, observing and smelling her would have been very beneficial for her to gain experience with newborns and might have enabled her to at least raise her next calf even if this one was beyond help. I wonder what reasons played into the decision to move the calf to the zoo so fast. Did they want to have the calf at the zoo so that they could put her on display for the visitors? Did the zoo staff want the opportunity to hand raise the baby for themselves instead of letting their collegues have the honor? Did they really thought that the baby had a good chance of surviving on milk replacer alone?! Do they now really believe the calf died due to "teething problems" combined with a low birth weight?
     
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  11. natel12

    natel12 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    No. She died due to the fact she couldn't gain weight due to a genetic disorder.
     
  12. Hyak_II

    Hyak_II Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Do you have anything released by the zoo stating it was indeed a "genetic disorder"? That sounds very much like another cop out answer, just like "low birth weight and teething issues". Stating she could detect that and therefore rejected the calf also sounds fishy, given this cow already has a history of calf rejection.

    But yes, as a parallel, Ajabu, the calf born at Dallas this year was smaller than the Pittsburgh calf by ten pounds and was born to a cow that was underweight for virtually all of her pregnancy, yet turned out absolutely fine....
     
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  13. Echobeast

    Echobeast Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    I think this should answer why staff pulled her earlier than your liking.

    I find it appalling how quick many of you are to blame the zoo for the calf's death. Given Pittsburgh's track record of breeding elephants, I find it strange how one individual's death means the whole institution is flawed. These people are experts and looking at this one death should have little to do with how we view the zoo as a whole. This sentiment is fueling the anti-cap movement and if you don't believe there will be a thorough review by the zoo's animal management to prevent this from happening again, then you are being ignorant and blaming the zoo staff for something that was most likely unavoidable.

    Also you can't compare Adjabu to this calf. Adjabu wasn't rejected and has been in the same family group his entire life. Comparing the two just shows a lack of knowledge in the subject of animal care.
     
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  14. natel12

    natel12 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Hey I'm zoo staff okay? You won't get more information from the zoo from anyone.
     
  15. loxodonta

    loxodonta Well-Known Member

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    it's not that one calf died but how it happened. Pittsburgh has now not had a successful elephant birth in over nine years and had two elephant deaths in 3 months. Unfortunately this zoo's "elephant expertise" has been sliding down hill over the last 5 years or so. It's just sad to see
     
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  16. natel12

    natel12 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Taiga the Amur tiger has died :(
     
  17. Moebelle

    Moebelle Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Part One - Dealing with tigers, dragons, and more. Narrations and documentary style videos coming soon...

     
  18. pachyderm pro

    pachyderm pro Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Though I don't comment on your videos much, I always watch them and they continue to put mine to shame ;).
     
  19. Moebelle

    Moebelle Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Well thank you very much haha. I prefer to watch your style of video, I just prefer to jo longer make them that way.
     
  20. natel12

    natel12 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    The zip lines finally open
     
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