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Zoo to house non-breeding elephants

28 January 2009

The elephant husbandry techniques of Belfast Zoo are changing. The grand old lady of the zoo, 44 year old Tina the elephant, will be joined by other non-breeding female elephants in the future. The zoo will only care for elephants by providing a good home for a small herd of non-breeding elderly females. It is likely that some of the elephants will be from a circus background.

International elephant expert from California, Alan Roocroft, is currently spending 4 days with the elephant team in preparation for the transition and challenges of elephant retirement.

Roocroft has over 46 years experience in managing elephants, including 19 years in the world famous, San Diego Wild Animal Park and Zoo. He has conducted field studies on working elephants for the Sri Lankan and Thai governments, and further research on elephant conditions in the wild and in game reserves in Tanzania and Kenya. His knowledge of elephants will result in the implementation of new animal enrichment techniques such as hanging feeders, sanded floors, and scratching stations that will stimulate reaching, climbing and digging.

“We want to create habitats for our elderly females” said Roocroft. “I am using my knowledge to create an environment with more enrichment activity, and providing knowledge to the staff in Belfast on how to prepare for the new challenges associated with non-breeding elephants”.

In 2008 the zoo implemented a form of contact with elephants known as protective contact. This gives elephant’s complete freedom of movement within the confines of the enclosure. It allows the keepers to be safe in their job and provides optimum comfort for the elephants. A zoo keeper and elephant never share the same space and all contact is received through protective barriers.

Alyn Cairns, Curator of elephants said, “The care of elephants is evolutionary and the techniques used to enhance elephant comfort in captivity are changing. Our decision to create a ‘retirement home’ for elephants was not taken lightly. Older elephants bring new challenges such as health management, behavioural patterns and training. When bringing these mammals together assessment on elephant compatibility is essential, the judgement and knowledge of our keepers becomes ever more important when caring for animals in their later years”.

Miranda Stevenson, Director of British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquaria (BIAZA) said “Belfast Zoo will be a place of excellence for a small herd of non-breeding cows. This ensures good capacity for other zoos to continue breeding elephants during re-productive years”.