Call me old fashioned....

By John Roberts 16 February 2008 00:43:00

    Here in Thailand certain local politicians made the news on St Valentine's night for ordering special squads of motel Police to patrol known love nests in order to protect Thai youth from themselves; They are worried that the nasty propaganda of pink cards and fluffy toys has been corrupting the flower of the nation by encouraging urges that ought to be suppressed.

    My amusement at the mother hen nature of Thai politicians was exposed as pure hypocrisy when reading of an eight year-old Thai elephant living in Australia (exported last year in a storm of controversy) who has recently had her pregnancy announced to great fanfare - How could they do this?  What were they thinking?  I had carefully stood outside the ropes on the debate of should they go, shouldn't they go; I had leaned into the Zoo's corner from time to time on the grounds that the welfare and care they would receive in Taronga Zoo would be guaranteed...

    ...and now this, what a silly thing to let happen.

    Before I flew off the handle, though, I thought I'd think about it a bit and talk to those that know, in fact, being the coward that I am I was going to sit back and watch with interest - this blog is not about polemic or controversy, but no news story has generated so many guest e-mails asking me what I thought so, here we go...

    All the old books I have give 15 as a safe breeding age, the Zoo's own policy gives 11 (looking back to Shana Alexander's book about Circuses and Zoos I remember being shocked at them considering an elephant fully grown by 9 or 10 when I think of them in human years) so eight would seem almost certainly too young.

    I went to talk with K. Lord who said that he'd heard of an eight year old in good condition carrying to term and safely giving birth - one thing we can be sure of is that the Zoo will give young Tong Dee the best care and nutrition money can buy - he also said, interestingly since it seems not even the Zoo can work this out for sure, that Tong Dee is definitely nine years old by now, she was born in Ban Satuk in Buriram (Kam Mool - the Four Seasons elephant's home village) and that she was a healthy baby!

    So, my concerns slightly settled, I had a look at out mothers and our ten year old, Pleum, who would count as fat and well cared for.  It is the size I'm worried about - human moral issues aside, taking as read that herd instinct and the Zoo will take care of raising the baby properly - physically the reason we don't encourage young human children to breed as soon as they become fertile are, as I understand them, the stress on an immature growing body of having another growing body within (and potential long term problems for the mother caused by nutrition that should help her grow going to her baby) and the physical difficulties with giving birth to a full size baby from an ungrown body, though this would be less of a problem with eles due to the relative sizes of mother and baby - yes, the baby's big but the mother's usually huge.  

    I'll let you decide for yourselves (mainly since I can't make up my mind)...



...stand Pleum next to relatively small Poon Larb, Lynchee's Mum, even though Pleum is a year older than Tong Dee we can assume she's as well fed, definitely smaller but not that much...



...but put her next to our really healthy, well balanced, Mum Makam and she's obviously still a child.  I'd like to see a photo of Tong Dee next to an adult elephant, maybe she is full grown at ten?

    In conclusion, according to Lung Lord - who really does know his stuff - it can be safe (if not to be recommended) if Tong Dee is large enough to carry an extra 90kg, well fed and cared for (which we can take as a given) but with no real knowledge on the long term effects on her carrying a baby through her formative years.  We can note, though, that this elephant man of elephant men wants to wait at least one more year before breeding Pleum despite her size, care and condition.

    From a strategic point of view I would ask why risk such an already controversial project, one that has been justified and fought for, by not waiting two (or ideally five) more years?  Whatever this is it is not best practice, yes the elephants were bought across for breeding and to widen the gene pool in order to prevent extinction but breeding is taking place throughout the range states, there is no emergency on these grounds to produce babies, and the world is watching - the majority wishing well but some waiting for a fall.

    From a personal point of view I wish them well and hope for the best but, and you can call me old fashioned when I say,... 

    ....no daughter of mine.
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LOVE is in the air at Taronga Zoo - or at least it was five months ago.

 

More than fifteen 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.

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