AUCKLAND, New Zealand, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- Auckland Zoo, the biggest zoo in New Zealand, announced on Wednesday to move its two female Asian elephants Burma and Anjalee to a new home overseas -- to give them both the family herd they need for their long-term wellbeing.
"In 2011, Auckland Zoo with the support of Auckland Council, committed to building a sustainable elephant family herd in Auckland. But over the past five years, changing circumstances beyond our control means that we are no longer in a position to give them the long-term future they need," said Auckland Zoo director, Kevin Buley in an announcement.
In the last five years, Auckland Zoo has faced a number of significant obstacles to its original goal of establishing an elephant family herd. An additional 6-year-old female elephant was expected to arrive from Sri Lanka's Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage shortly after Anjalee in 2015 but her arrival at Auckland Zoo was stopped in 2017 following protests from animal rights activists and a hearing in the Sri Lankan Court of Appeal.
In addition, five artificial insemination (AI) attempts working with the world's leading elephant reproductive experts were made between 2017-19 with Anjalee. None of these were successful and now a number of insurmountable challenges mean that no further AI attempts are currently possible here in New Zealand.
"For Anjalee's future health and wellbeing we must do everything to protect her ability to breed. Now aged 14, she needs to get pregnant soon to avoid the long-term reproductive health issues that can face female elephants if they don't breed. Having exhausted all current possibilities to breed her here at Auckland Zoo, we will now work to move her to another accredited zoo programme where she can live in a multi-generational family herd. There she will be able to mate naturally with a bull elephant and have the best possible chance of eventually having her own elephant calf," said Buley.
"We are currently working with our international zoo colleagues at other accredited zoos with excellent elephant programmes to secure the best possible home overseas that meets both Anjalee and Burma's respective needs for their long-term wellbeing and future security.
"At the current time, we anticipate that they will potentially be leaving us by mid-2021, so there will be plenty of opportunity for people to see them and say their farewells,"said the Auckland Zoo director. Enditem
