Oregon Zoo’s vision for our elephants At the Oregon Zoo, we give careful thought everyday to providing for the welfare of our animals. Here’s your opportunity to get acquainted with the zoo’s philosophy of elephant care and find answers to your questions about plans for their future. 1) Why are herds so important? Elephants thrive when they live in family herds. Under natural conditions, female elephants spend their entire lives together. Elephants in herds spend a surprising amount of time in physical contact with each other. They work together, foraging for food and raising young. The Oregon Zoo is committed to supporting long-‐term stable herds as an elemental part of our animals’ wellbeing. 2) Why does the zoo breed elephants? There are two primary reasons. First, elephants are so family oriented that breeding and raising young is essential to their health. Belonging to a multigenerational matriarchal herd and participating in the raising of young stimulates and motivates each member of the herd physically, emotionally and psychologically. The highly evolved social structures that elephants have developed over millennia serve not only as protection against predation, but as the shaping force in their social and emotional development. Preventing them from acting upon these natural instincts would deny them the ability to live a full and complete life and ignore one of their most basic needs. In addition, the Oregon Zoo believes it is important to maintain a healthy, genetically-‐diverse population of Asian elephants in North America. The zoo does not currently import elephants and accepts elephants from other facilities only on a case-‐by-‐case basis. Therefore it is imperative that we continue our role as leaders in elephant breeding so that we help maintain a healthy population of elephants in North America into perpetuity. 3) Why do we need sustainable populations of elephants in zoos? To teach people and inspire action: Zoos provide a setting in which people can see, smell and hear living, breathing wild animals. Zoo visitors can gaze into the eyes of a 12,000 lb elephant, listen to it trumpet, watch it manipulate its trunk and witness the amazing connections these animals have with one another. Visitors can talk to the keepers who observe and work with the animals every day. This helps visitors gain a deeper understanding of the unique qualities of each animal, how they interact with other members of their species, what they require from their habitat. These experiences move people, shape their perspectives and encourage them to act on behalf of elephants worldwide. To learn more about elephants: The Oregon Zoo has long been a leader in elephant husbandry and research. Our experience and daily care of elephants allows us to gain a deeper understanding of these complex animals: • We’ve pioneered a variety of methods for safely and humanely providing daily care and medical treatment, even to adult males. • We led establishment of national elephant care standards and professional training for care staff for all Association of Zoos and Aquariums member facilities.
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We collected hormone data from both bulls and cows for 25 years, deepening our collective understanding of the reproductive cycles of both males and females. • Discoveries from our pheromone (hormone scent) and infrasonic (low frequency sound) communication studies are applied in Asia and Africa for proactive elephant management around developed areas, reducing conflicts between humans and elephants. • Our studies of the female elephant’s estrus cycles are the foundation for research in artificial insemination and contraception. For the wellbeing of zoo elephants: Elephants thrive when surrounded by family. Babies become the focus of the entire herd. The herd collectively protects and teaches the babies. Babies help herd members define their respective roles. For example, when Samudra was born, as RoseTu took on maternal responsibilities, Shine stepped up as the supportive auntie who provides him with attention and RoseTu with support. Chendra, an orphaned elephant injured in the wild, is not related to the other elephants and was not initially embraced as part of the family but with the addition of Samudra, Chendra cemented her place within the herd as an active playmate to the baby. Rose, Shine and Chendra grew closer as the baby grew and with the recent addition of Lily, the herd relationship has been solidified in a harmonious union of close knit females playing different various roles to help raise the calves. 4) How does the Oregon Zoo support socialization of male elephants? Male elephants are larger and more powerful than females and, in their natural habitats, tend to live apart from the herd much of the time. Because of the size, strength and solitary tendencies of males, few zoos provide homes for them. This creates challenges for breeding elephants in North America because chances are 50 percent of offspring will be male. The Oregon Zoo has long provided opportunities for our males to socialize with females. In addition, the zoo is exploring possibilities for male elephants to socialize with each other, whether in proximity to one another or within one enclosure as a bachelor group. Young male elephants learn from male role models. The Oregon Zoo is working to provide opportunities for Samudra and future male offspring to spend quality time with their fathers. This teaches them how to behave appropriately around adult males and provides opportunities for them to observe and learn appropriate breeding behavior. It will help them better navigate an adult world. A potential future offsite facility could supplement our current space with additional quality habitat in which young bull elephants could experience the rich and diverse social interactions that help them develop into well-‐rounded adults. 5) How would an offsite center enhance the current Oregon Zoo elephant program? An offsite center would increase flexibility for caring for animals. Conditions change. Like our own, elephant family dynamics change. The zoo wants to be prepared for changing circumstances which include new babies, rival matriarchs or multiple males. Our elephants would benefit from more space that over time would allow our herd to splinter and grow—this is a dilemma that elephants face in the wild where habitat is fragmented and in intense •
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demand. An offsite facility would provide additional space and flexibility to accommodate dynamic family relationships. Would you study the elephants at an offsite center? Yes. Unlike African elephants, much less is known about the behavior of Asian elephants in the wild, especially herd dynamics, because they are harder to observe in the rainforests of Asia than on the savannahs of Africa. A remote elephant center would open opportunities for us to gain knowledge that we can’t gather in their range countries. What we learn here about herd dynamics, reproduction and calf rearing can be applied in their range countries to help minimize human-‐ elephant conflicts. This is the best hope for building stable populations in the wild. Is there an urgent need for a remote elephant center? No. Prior to the passage of the zoo bond measure and completion of a master plan, the zoo anticipated the possibility of moving elephants off site during construction of Elephant Lands. However, animal care staff and designers later determined it was better for the animals to keep them on site and that construction could be carefully phased to make that possible. Throughout construction, our elephant herd will never have less space than they had when we began. They are moving into each new area as it is completed. When fully completed, Elephant Lands will provide our elephant family ample high-‐quality habitat for years into the future. Why haven’t you purchased property? Selecting the right property to support a home for elephants is challenging. We determined from an initial feasibility study that our ideal site would be within one hour travel time of the zoo and at least 140 acres. Zoo and Metro staff have visited more than 12 rural properties and we currently hold an option on the former Roslyn Lake site in Clackamas County. Each piece of property we have visited has constraints and in each case we have weighed the feasibility and cost of resolving issues. Considerations include: • Are access roads adequate for transporting a 13,000 lb. animal? • Does the site offer topography (not too flat, not too steep) that helps keep elephants fit? • Are there issues with the site’s water table and stormwater drainage? • Are there existing buildings or an area conducive to building construction? • Are neighboring uses compatible? • Are the neighbors accepting of an elephant facility in the neighborhood? • Does the parcel configuration allow for a variety of multi-‐acre enclosures? • Is there an ample potable water supply? Real estate transactions are never simple. This one has unique challenges and we are proceeding with caution, purchasing only when we feel we have found the right location for a long-‐term home for our elephants and sustainable funding. What is the timeline for building the center? With no immediate need and many details left to be determined, a timeline has not been established. The zoo continues to work on determining the feasibility of this endeavor, as directed by Metro Council.
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The Metro Council has granted permission to the zoo to purchase property but only move forward with site development when we have identified long-‐term funding for the operations of an offsite center. The zoo is currently working to secure a steady source of revenue. We anticipate that it will cost more than $1.5 million annually to operate and may take ten years or more to accumulate the funds necessary for stable operation. 10) How would the Oregon Zoo’s offsite center differ from a sanctuary? Our intent is to create habitats in which elephants can be elephants in settings in which they thrive doing what elephants do. This includes searching for food, giving birth and caring for young as a family herd. Sanctuaries serve the same purpose that assisted living facilities serve for humans. They are retirement centers populated by older unrelated elephants. While they may serve a beneficial purpose for some elephants, there are a number of reasons Oregon Zoo elephants do not belong there: • Our elephants do not have a need to retire. The Oregon Zoo provides a setting for its elephants to live in a family group with varied ages and the ability to collectively raise their young. The elephant populations at sanctuaries are comprised of unrelated, often geriatric animals with no opportunity to develop family ties or raise their young. • We answer to a publicly-‐elected body. Sanctuaries, run by non-‐profit organizations, lack the fundamental financial stability we have as part of Metro and they are not subject to the public scrutiny inherent to the Oregon Zoo’s program. • Unlike most sanctuaries, we are accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, status that requires that we meet high standards for animal care and for which we go through a rigorous application and inspection every five years. • We have learned through years of animal care that quality of habitat and stimulating surroundings are more important than acreage alone. We provide daily stimulation and challenge for our animals and our new habitat is designed from the ground up to provide high quality of life for our herd. 11) Didn’t the bond measure promise a reserve? No. The bond measure itself did not mention an offsite elephant facility. The Metro Council resolution that approved sending the bond measure to voters noted: “…the zoo is exploring the feasibility of providing an off-‐site area for elephants. Funds are set aside for potential capital needs of off-‐site space.” The conceptual plan at the time was dependent upon acquiring land via donation. The Metro Council allocated $7.2 million ($5.8 million of which was from the bond and $1.4 million from private donors) earmarked for feasibility, due diligence and, if appropriate, land purchase and construction. In December, 2012, The Metro Council approved use of bond funds for the land purchase with the stipulation that land will be developed only after a long-‐term, reliable source of operating funds has been identified. The Metro Council has always approached plans for this facility with caution, recognizing that it is a substantial undertaking. The zoo’s vision for the facility hasn’t changed; it has evolved and been
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further refined as we’ve developed more specific facility plans and considered a number of rural properties. In the mean time, we are focused on completing the projects identified in the bond measure. In addition to Elephant Lands, over the next six years we will construct a new educational facility and new habitats for polar bears, primates and rhinos. Elephant Lands will provide excellent living conditions for our elephants for years to come. 12) Which animals would stay at the zoo and which would move to an offsite location? These determinations will be made based on the needs of each animal and the best interests of the herd over time. It is likely that initially some of our males could reside at the offsite facility. As the herd grows and matures, there may be times when members choose to split and establish a second matriarchal herd. An offsite elephant facility would allow us to accommodate these herd dynamics.