I have a few questions wandering in my mind: 1 - How healthy is the captive population of elephants? I mean genetic pool, if there are enough reproductive adults to keep it, births vs deaths, etc. For both African and Asian. ¿A forecast for the future? 2 - regarding Asian elephants: Zoos label them as "generic" (like Giraffes) or there are specific breeding programs for different subspecies? If that is the case: which subspecies is the most common one? 3- Is there any possibility that a breeding program for the African forest elephant can be created in the future? Are they harder to keep/breed than the bush elephants? 4- How Zoos deals with the musth? 5- Is it legal to export/import elephants? I'm thinking about wild-caught ones. Thanks in advance
I may not be the most experienced on here, but I can try to address your questions strictly from a North American, and more heavily, Asian, standpoint. But first let me point out five ongoing threads that provide a wealth of information, including the exact numbers of each population and where they are, as well as their ages: North American Asian Elephant Population North American Asian Elephant Institutions North American African Elephant Population North American African Elephant Institutions North American Asian Elephant Reproduction 1. "Healthy" is a multi-faceted issue that involves total number of breeding-age specimens and how closely they are related. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) runs Species Survival Programs for each species, and members from zoos collectively decide how best to use our limited resources. There are about 12 zoos considered breeding facilities, because they breed now or have in the past, but there are a fair number of genetic lines that are so well-represented that the SSP will have to be careful down the line who best to pair up with whom. Even some imports from foreign zoos duplicate genes in our gene pool. We also need more reproductive specimens. At this point, considerably more elephants are dying each year than are being born, and of those calves, about 50% die of the Elephant Endothelial Herpes Virus. 2. There are no SSP's for any sub-species, for example Sri Lankan, Indian, Thai, Burmese for Asians. There just aren't enough animals. With all combined, it will be very difficult to sustain a captive breeding program. There is exactly one Bornean elephant in Oregon, and she has been directed to breed with non-Bornean Samson. Of the original wild-born elephants to North America, my guess would be that the most represented sub-species would Thai, Indian, Burmese, Sri Lankan, in that order. Studbooks contain that information, but for about a decade, these have been unavailable to the public. 3. I may be wrong, but I don't think there any forest elephants in North America. There was one in Canada 30 years ago who was returned to the wild. It would take quite a few institutions with multiple elephants for a specific SSP to be created. I've never read any information about holding forest elephants in captivity, so there's no way to compare them to Asians or Africans. 4. Zoos deal with musth by having specially-designed enclosures that are strong enough to withstand the possible violence of males in musth. Generally zoos that have not built such quarters are not allowed to house bulls. Because males can be so much more dangerous, circuses and zoos usually bought female Asians from the wild. As a result, our population data reflects that. One expert says that by having multiple males together, he suppressed musth in all of them, but now even he has but one breeding bull. The protected-contact, positive reinforcement method of behavioral training I think has also had a dampening effect on musth via great relationships with their keepers. I've seen quite a few bulls in musth, and while they may be grumpy and seep fluid from the temporal glands, I don't think it's nearly as bad now as what legend has passed down. 5. As a general rule, the CITES treaty (Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species) finally convened in 1975 generally prohibits the sale of about 35,000 species worldwide. People kill or import elephants for the commercial value of their Ivory, or for trophy hunting, while many are sold for religious use of meat or hides. Starting in 1975, zoos could no longer go abroad and buy elephants for zoos. Since then, zoos have not only started breeding, but contribute to conservation efforts in native regions. Relationships have been formed, and every so often a foreign colleague will notify a zoo of a unique situation of an animal who has been injured so badly they could not return to the wild, and that's how Bornean elephant Chendra came to Oregon. A decade ago, Zimbabwe said it would be culling 18 elephants to use its land for rhino conservation, and in these circumstances, these 18 African elephants were allowed to come to the US to be divided between three very reputable zoos. Another such group is under debate now. But ultimately the appropriate officials of each country have the ultimate authority about whether these moves can go through. A move to import 18 beluga whales to the Georgia Aquarium in 2012 was eventually refused by US Fish and Wildlife, and the refusal held up under court appeal. As a result, world zoos have turned to foreign zoos to exchange animals to maintain genetic diversity, or to rescue centers or orphanages to legally acquire the occasional animal who needs medical attention and could not survive in the wild. With these exceptions, however, zoos can no longer import animals no matter how noble their motives for sustaining the species may be.
Very well said! African forest elephants will no longer be bred in captivity. They are the only ones in the Sousse Friguia Zoo and in China or Japan.
