Guest guest Posted February 21, 2008 Report Share Posted February 21, 2008 Taronga's elephant is expecting By Simon Benson February 14, 2008 LOVE is in the air at Taronga Zoo - or at least it was five months ago. More than 15 months after arriving under a cloud of controversy from Thailand, Sydney's Asian elephants have conspired to grow their number by one. An ultrasound image has confirmed that eight-year-old Thong Dee has made history and is now 20 weeks pregnant. A successful birth, expected sometime in mid-2009, would mark the first captive elephant breeding success in Australasia. Tests conducted last week revealed a healthy foetus about 10cm long. Keepers claimed that it was " very active, like its father " the younger male elephant Gung - which in Thai means prawn. Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Water Phil Koperberg said the pregnancy, which will last 22 months, had always been planned. The animals were brought to Taronga in 2006 on an epic voyage via the Cocos Keeling Islands and are now housed in a $15 million specialised enclosure. " From day one, it had always been our intention to have them breed, " Zoo director Guy Cooper said. He disputed claims by Greens MP Lee Rhiannon - a critic of the animals being brought to Australia - who said Thong Dee was underaged and that the pregnancy was a mistake resulting from poor management by the keepers. Ms Rhiannon also claimed the captive management plan adopted by Taronga Zoo specified that female elephants should be at least 11 years old before becoming pregnant. But Mr Cooper said tests last year confirmed that the female animals were all of reproductive maturity and ready to breed. The elephants at Taronga have matured rapidly due to their high standards of diet, exercise and care, he said. " From the start, the male Gung, 7, began doing what he was supposed to do in an elephant herd, mating with the females, " Mr Cooper said. " Over months, his relationship with them changed from being a playful younger brother to being a desirable young male. It was always our plan to breed Gung with the younger females Thong Dee and Tang Mo. " In the wild, first-time mothers can lose up to 50 per cent of their calves either during pregnancy or as neo-natal deaths. " This exciting news is a tremendous success for Taronga's regional Conservation Breeding Program and for the future of our largest living land animals. " Five of the eight elephants brought to Australia - Pornthip, Pak Boon, Tang Mo, Thong Dee and Gung - are living at Taronga Zoo. The remainder are in Melbourne zoos. http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23209007-5006009,00.html Video: http://media.theage.com.au/?rid=35494 ............................ Pregnant elephant sparks jumbo row The Age LORNA EDWARDS February 15, 2008 A STORM has erupted over the pregnancy of an eight-year-old Asian elephant at Sydney's Taronga Zoo, with three animal welfare groups claiming the female is too young to breed. The animal is the first elephant to became pregnant while in captivity in Australia. But the RSPCA, Humane Society International and International Fund for Animal Welfare said elephants should be at least 11 years old before breeding under an approved captive management plan. " Allowing an eight-year-old elephant to conceive is the equivalent of allowing your 12-year-old daughter to become pregnant; it is completely irresponsible and we want to know why this was allowed to happen, " International Fund for Animal Welfare's Asia-Pacific director Erica Martin said. Taronga Zoo said the 11-year reference in the plan related only to the earliest age of conception in American zoos, while European zoos had elephants pregnant as young as five. Taronga spokesman Mark Williams said: " This was not an accident, it was carefully planned and it was done based on the recommendations of international experts in elephant reproductive biology who assessed all four of our animals as reproductively viable. " This has come about based on pure science, not emotion, and … it seems to be a misinterpretation by these groups, " he said. But RSPCA chief scientist Bidda Jones said the pregnancy was extremely risky and had no conservation value. " Essentially the young female is the zoo's very own cash cow, " Dr Jones said. Taronga and Melbourne zoos controversially imported eight Asian elephants from Thailand in 2006. Taronga Zoo said the pregnancy was a breakthrough in a conservation effort for the dwindling species and showed the Thai elephants had adapted happily to their new home. http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/pregnant-elephant-sparks-jumbo-row/2008/0\ 2/14/1202760494756.html ............................ From the web site of Lee Rhiannon, MLC, The NSW Parliament Greens: Media Peter Garrett should investigate breach of Taronga elephant import conditions Thursday, 14 February 2008 Greens MP spokesperson Lee Rhiannon is calling on the Federal Minister for Environment to commence investigations into whether Taronga Zoo has breached conditions placed on its elephant import licence by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. The conditions require that the zoo comply with guidelines for captive elephants that specify elephants ‘must be at least 9 years old (12 years is ideal)’. “In 2006 the Commonwealth Administrative Appeals Tribunal made it a condition of importing the Taronga elephants that the zoo comply at all times with the Guidelines for Management of Elephants in Australasian (ARAZPA) Zoos,” Ms Rhiannon said. “A breach of the conditions may constitute a criminal offence, with Taronga Zoo liable to a maximum penalty of $33,000. “The Greens are calling on the Minister for the Environment Mr Peter Garrett to immediately refer the matter to the Commonwealth DPP for investigation, to make sure that in future the zoo follows world’s best practice in captive breeding and abides by guidelines set down to achieve this. “While a pregnant elephant at Taronga Zoo is a good news story, the Greens and animal welfare experts like the RSPCA are concerned for the welfare of this small adolescent elephant whose pregnancy has just begun. “ARAZPA’s Captive Management Plan for Asian Elephants makes it clear that zoos need to ensure that ‘female elephants involved in breeding are sufficiently mature’. “Taronga Zoo’s own promotional book describes how in the wild an adolescent elephant like Gung would have been separated from the immature females by the older matriarchal leaders of the herd. “At Taronga Zoo there is no elephant social support structure like there is in the wild. The zoo therefore carries the responsibility to keep the young bull elephant away from immature females, but has failed to do this. “This pregnancy could put the young mother elephant at risk. Zoo CEO Mr Guy Cooper himself warns that the pregnancy may not be successful. “This potential breach of import conditions is one of a string of problematic incidents at Taronga Zoo involving endangered animals, with animal welfare appearing to run second to commercial interests. “In 2007 a pregnant rhino died at Taronga Zoo and a middle aged elephant died at Western Plains Zoo,” Ms Rhiannon said. http://lee.greens.org.au/index.php/content/view/2420/50/ ............................ Washington Post Blogs Off/beat By Emil Steiner Elephant Sex Crime at Sydney's Taronga Zoo? Is Thong Dee's Pre-Teen Pregnancy a Miracle or a Moral Outrage? The ultrasound heard 'round the world (Reuters) The temptation of underage sex has reached mammoth proportions, with a juvenile Asian elephant now caught up in the highest-profile baby scandal since Jaime Lynn Spears. According to reports, Thong Dee, an eight- or nine-year-old elephant " rescued " from Thailand and reared at Sydney's Taronga Zoo, is five months pregnant. Meanwhile, Gung, the 7-year-old daddy, is turning up his trunk at monogamy and has begun mating with Thong Dee's three roommates, Porntip, 15, Pak Boon, 14, and Tang Mo, 10 -- all under the watchful eyes of zoo staff. Zoo Director Guy Cooper praised Gung's virility, stating that it was " wonderful " to " have a young bull... that has proven himself to be a very exceptional breeder. " But not everyone is excited with Taronga's pre-teen sex romp. Animal rights advocates have expressed outrage, calling it " completely irresponsible " to allow an elephant as young as Dee to become pregnant. Erica Martin, Asia-Pacific of the International Fund for Animal Welfare, compared it to " allowing your 12-year-old daughter to become pregnant. " Others agree, insisting that Dee is not emotionally or physically ready to be a mommy, and that she is at high risk of still-birth and calf-rejection. But officials at Taronga dispute that contention and have been celebrating the news of what could be Australia's first elephant born in captivity. Cooper cited an evaluation from German breeding experts who pronounced Dee " fit to breed " in 2007. And while 11 or 12 is considered the ideal age for birthing, he was quick to point out that elephants as young as five and a half have gotten pregnant in European zoos. Dee is part of a captive breeding program, intended to help replenish her endangered species, which, according to the World Wildlife Fund, has a population of only 25,600 to 32,750 in the wild. With the future of the Asian Elephant still very much in doubt, experts remain divided over whether Dee's little bundle of joy is a miracle or a moral outrage. http://blog.washingtonpost.com/offbeat/2008/02/elephant_sex_crime_at_sydneys_1.h\ tml?nav=rss_blog *~~~* *~~~* *~~~* Comment on " Elephant Sex Crime at Sydney's Taronga Zoo? " from Will Travers of Born Free: Posted by: Will Travers | February 19, 2008 03:31 PM SYDNEY ZOO'S PREGNANT ELEPHANT - UNDER-AGE OR CALF ABUSE? " Whiff of Scandal as Young Bull Plays the Field " (The Times Friday 15th 2008) The Times report on Taronga Zoo's controversially pregnant young female elephant, Thong Dee, takes a new turn. According to the zoo she is '8 or 9' but papers seen by the Born Free Foundation and submitted 2 years ago to the Australian Government in an effort to prevent the recent import of 9 animals from Thailand, seem to confirm that she is, in fact, just 6 years and 8 months old. The zoo reports that she is 5 months pregnant, so her age at conception was actually 6 years and 3 months. But this isn't simply a case of 'oh dear and never mind'. Research in Africa clearly indicates that female elephants who give birth under the age of 10 run a 50% risk of infant mortality within the first year compared to a 76% success rate for females 10 and over. There are physical as well as psychological concerns. Taronga Zoo has no related, experienced females to 'allo-mother' (mid-wife) Thong Dee's calf and, indeed, Thong Dee herself has not had the education in parenting skills that normal matriarchal elephant society provides. If successful, her calf will be the first Asian elephant born in Australia ever. ARAZPA, Australia's Zoo Association, states that a female should be 9 before breeding and, optimally 12. How did this apparent 'accident' occur? Do the zoo authorities know what they are doing? Could they not have taken precautions - like keeping Gung, the solitary male, apart from the females to avoid just such an incident? The new elephant enclosure at Taronga Zoo has cost about £20 million many times the budget of numerous national Wildlife Departments. Its objective is, according to the zoo, to breed elephants to arrest the rapid decline of wild Asian elephants. Having returned from Sri Lanka 2 weeks ago I can confirm that the 3,500 wild elephants in that country are doing well and breeding at the rate of 180-200 calves a year without human intervention. A handful of captive-bred calves in Australia (if that ever happens) are of no consequence to the survival of the species - anyone who thinks otherwise is simply deluded. Meanwhile a little 6 year old elephant calf - a child - is going through what will almost certainly be a very risky pregnancy. Even the zoo is preparing the public for possible failure by stating that only half under-age pregnancies survive. What a mess - and this is supposed to be the best we can do? Faithfully. Will Travers CEO The Born Free Foundation www.bornfree.org.uk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 22, 2008 Report Share Posted February 22, 2008 The elephants were imported into Australia with the intention of breeding. So much so that the zoos have ask the federal government to develop quarantine measures to import fresh chilled elephant sperm from elephant bulls in Singapore, the EU and the USA. The bulls in Australia (apart from the male imported from Thailand last year, Gung) are considered to be unreliable for breeding purposes. These bulls are at Perth and Melbourne Zoos. The problem is (in my opinion) that there is not enough space in these zoos for more elephants. I am not sure where they would put more elephants. How are they going to get the fresh chilled sperm. By manual manipulation or electro-ejaculation. Both are demeaning to the animals. But the zoos never hid the fact that they intended breeding. They have said all along breeding is to take place.In fact that was the reason for importing them. I felt this would happen after orgs accused them of not being able to breed. They needed to show they had the expertise to breed these animals. This is a real mess and the elephants will suffer. Lynette - Cate aapn Thursday, February 21, 2008 7:33 PM (AU) Pregnant elephant sparks jumbo row Taronga's elephant is expecting By Simon Benson February 14, 2008 LOVE is in the air at Taronga Zoo - or at least it was five months ago. More than 15 months after arriving under a cloud of controversy from Thailand, Sydney's Asian elephants have conspired to grow their number by one. An ultrasound image has confirmed that eight-year-old Thong Dee has made history and is now 20 weeks pregnant. A successful birth, expected sometime in mid-2009, would mark the first captive elephant breeding success in Australasia. Tests conducted last week revealed a healthy foetus about 10cm long. Keepers claimed that it was " very active, like its father " the younger male elephant Gung - which in Thai means prawn. Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Water Phil Koperberg said the pregnancy, which will last 22 months, had always been planned. The animals were brought to Taronga in 2006 on an epic voyage via the Cocos Keeling Islands and are now housed in a $15 million specialised enclosure. " From day one, it had always been our intention to have them breed, " Zoo director Guy Cooper said. He disputed claims by Greens MP Lee Rhiannon - a critic of the animals being brought to Australia - who said Thong Dee was underaged and that the pregnancy was a mistake resulting from poor management by the keepers. Ms Rhiannon also claimed the captive management plan adopted by Taronga Zoo specified that female elephants should be at least 11 years old before becoming pregnant. But Mr Cooper said tests last year confirmed that the female animals were all of reproductive maturity and ready to breed. The elephants at Taronga have matured rapidly due to their high standards of diet, exercise and care, he said. " From the start, the male Gung, 7, began doing what he was supposed to do in an elephant herd, mating with the females, " Mr Cooper said. " Over months, his relationship with them changed from being a playful younger brother to being a desirable young male. It was always our plan to breed Gung with the younger females Thong Dee and Tang Mo. " In the wild, first-time mothers can lose up to 50 per cent of their calves either during pregnancy or as neo-natal deaths. " This exciting news is a tremendous success for Taronga's regional Conservation Breeding Program and for the future of our largest living land animals. " Five of the eight elephants brought to Australia - Pornthip, Pak Boon, Tang Mo, Thong Dee and Gung - are living at Taronga Zoo. The remainder are in Melbourne zoos. http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23209007-5006009,00.html Video: http://media.theage.com.au/?rid=35494 ........................... Pregnant elephant sparks jumbo row The Age LORNA EDWARDS February 15, 2008 A STORM has erupted over the pregnancy of an eight-year-old Asian elephant at Sydney's Taronga Zoo, with three animal welfare groups claiming the female is too young to breed. The animal is the first elephant to became pregnant while in captivity in Australia. But the RSPCA, Humane Society International and International Fund for Animal Welfare said elephants should be at least 11 years old before breeding under an approved captive management plan. " Allowing an eight-year-old elephant to conceive is the equivalent of allowing your 12-year-old daughter to become pregnant; it is completely irresponsible and we want to know why this was allowed to happen, " International Fund for Animal Welfare's Asia-Pacific director Erica Martin said. Taronga Zoo said the 11-year reference in the plan related only to the earliest age of conception in American zoos, while European zoos had elephants pregnant as young as five. Taronga spokesman Mark Williams said: " This was not an accident, it was carefully planned and it was done based on the recommendations of international experts in elephant reproductive biology who assessed all four of our animals as reproductively viable. " This has come about based on pure science, not emotion, and ? it seems to be a misinterpretation by these groups, " he said. But RSPCA chief scientist Bidda Jones said the pregnancy was extremely risky and had no conservation value. " Essentially the young female is the zoo's very own cash cow, " Dr Jones said. Taronga and Melbourne zoos controversially imported eight Asian elephants from Thailand in 2006. Taronga Zoo said the pregnancy was a breakthrough in a conservation effort for the dwindling species and showed the Thai elephants had adapted happily to their new home. http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/pregnant-elephant-sparks-jumbo-row/2008/0\ 2/14/1202760494756.html ........................... From the web site of Lee Rhiannon, MLC, The NSW Parliament Greens: Media Peter Garrett should investigate breach of Taronga elephant import conditions Thursday, 14 February 2008 Greens MP spokesperson Lee Rhiannon is calling on the Federal Minister for Environment to commence investigations into whether Taronga Zoo has breached conditions placed on its elephant import licence by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. The conditions require that the zoo comply with guidelines for captive elephants that specify elephants ?must be at least 9 years old (12 years is ideal)?. ?In 2006 the Commonwealth Administrative Appeals Tribunal made it a condition of importing the Taronga elephants that the zoo comply at all times with the Guidelines for Management of Elephants in Australasian (ARAZPA) Zoos,? Ms Rhiannon said. ?A breach of the conditions may constitute a criminal offence, with Taronga Zoo liable to a maximum penalty of $33,000. ?The Greens are calling on the Minister for the Environment Mr Peter Garrett to immediately refer the matter to the Commonwealth DPP for investigation, to make sure that in future the zoo follows world?s best practice in captive breeding and abides by guidelines set down to achieve this. ?While a pregnant elephant at Taronga Zoo is a good news story, the Greens and animal welfare experts like the RSPCA are concerned for the welfare of this small adolescent elephant whose pregnancy has just begun. ?ARAZPA?s Captive Management Plan for Asian Elephants makes it clear that zoos need to ensure that ?female elephants involved in breeding are sufficiently mature?. ?Taronga Zoo?s own promotional book describes how in the wild an adolescent elephant like Gung would have been separated from the immature females by the older matriarchal leaders of the herd. ?At Taronga Zoo there is no elephant social support structure like there is in the wild. The zoo therefore carries the responsibility to keep the young bull elephant away from immature females, but has failed to do this. ?This pregnancy could put the young mother elephant at risk. Zoo CEO Mr Guy Cooper himself warns that the pregnancy may not be successful. ?This potential breach of import conditions is one of a string of problematic incidents at Taronga Zoo involving endangered animals, with animal welfare appearing to run second to commercial interests. ?In 2007 a pregnant rhino died at Taronga Zoo and a middle aged elephant died at Western Plains Zoo,? Ms Rhiannon said. http://lee.greens.org.au/index.php/content/view/2420/50/ ........................... Washington Post Blogs Off/beat By Emil Steiner Elephant Sex Crime at Sydney's Taronga Zoo? Is Thong Dee's Pre-Teen Pregnancy a Miracle or a Moral Outrage? The ultrasound heard 'round the world (Reuters) The temptation of underage sex has reached mammoth proportions, with a juvenile Asian elephant now caught up in the highest-profile baby scandal since Jaime Lynn Spears. According to reports, Thong Dee, an eight- or nine-year-old elephant " rescued " from Thailand and reared at Sydney's Taronga Zoo, is five months pregnant. Meanwhile, Gung, the 7-year-old daddy, is turning up his trunk at monogamy and has begun mating with Thong Dee's three roommates, Porntip, 15, Pak Boon, 14, and Tang Mo, 10 -- all under the watchful eyes of zoo staff. Zoo Director Guy Cooper praised Gung's virility, stating that it was " wonderful " to " have a young bull... that has proven himself to be a very exceptional breeder. " But not everyone is excited with Taronga's pre-teen sex romp. Animal rights advocates have expressed outrage, calling it " completely irresponsible " to allow an elephant as young as Dee to become pregnant. Erica Martin, Asia-Pacific of the International Fund for Animal Welfare, compared it to " allowing your 12-year-old daughter to become pregnant. " Others agree, insisting that Dee is not emotionally or physically ready to be a mommy, and that she is at high risk of still-birth and calf-rejection. But officials at Taronga dispute that contention and have been celebrating the news of what could be Australia's first elephant born in captivity. Cooper cited an evaluation from German breeding experts who pronounced Dee " fit to breed " in 2007. And while 11 or 12 is considered the ideal age for birthing, he was quick to point out that elephants as young as five and a half have gotten pregnant in European zoos. Dee is part of a captive breeding program, intended to help replenish her endangered species, which, according to the World Wildlife Fund, has a population of only 25,600 to 32,750 in the wild. With the future of the Asian Elephant still very much in doubt, experts remain divided over whether Dee's little bundle of joy is a miracle or a moral outrage. http://blog.washingtonpost.com/offbeat/2008/02/elephant_sex_crime_at_sydneys_1.h\ tml?nav=rss_blog *~~~* *~~~* *~~~* Comment on " Elephant Sex Crime at Sydney's Taronga Zoo? " from Will Travers of Born Free: Posted by: Will Travers | February 19, 2008 03:31 PM SYDNEY ZOO'S PREGNANT ELEPHANT - UNDER-AGE OR CALF ABUSE? " Whiff of Scandal as Young Bull Plays the Field " (The Times Friday 15th 2008) The Times report on Taronga Zoo's controversially pregnant young female elephant, Thong Dee, takes a new turn. According to the zoo she is '8 or 9' but papers seen by the Born Free Foundation and submitted 2 years ago to the Australian Government in an effort to prevent the recent import of 9 animals from Thailand, seem to confirm that she is, in fact, just 6 years and 8 months old. The zoo reports that she is 5 months pregnant, so her age at conception was actually 6 years and 3 months. But this isn't simply a case of 'oh dear and never mind'. Research in Africa clearly indicates that female elephants who give birth under the age of 10 run a 50% risk of infant mortality within the first year compared to a 76% success rate for females 10 and over. There are physical as well as psychological concerns. Taronga Zoo has no related, experienced females to 'allo-mother' (mid-wife) Thong Dee's calf and, indeed, Thong Dee herself has not had the education in parenting skills that normal matriarchal elephant society provides. If successful, her calf will be the first Asian elephant born in Australia ever. ARAZPA, Australia's Zoo Association, states that a female should be 9 before breeding and, optimally 12. How did this apparent 'accident' occur? Do the zoo authorities know what they are doing? Could they not have taken precautions - like keeping Gung, the solitary male, apart from the females to avoid just such an incident? The new elephant enclosure at Taronga Zoo has cost about ?20 million many times the budget of numerous national Wildlife Departments. Its objective is, according to the zoo, to breed elephants to arrest the rapid decline of wild Asian elephants. Having returned from Sri Lanka 2 weeks ago I can confirm that the 3,500 wild elephants in that country are doing well and breeding at the rate of 180-200 calves a year without human intervention. A handful of captive-bred calves in Australia (if that ever happens) are of no consequence to the survival of the species - anyone who thinks otherwise is simply deluded. Meanwhile a little 6 year old elephant calf - a child - is going through what will almost certainly be a very risky pregnancy. Even the zoo is preparing the public for possible failure by stating that only half under-age pregnancies survive. What a mess - and this is supposed to be the best we can do? Faithfully. Will Travers CEO The Born Free Foundation www.bornfree.org.uk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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