Latest news with #ConservationBreeding
BBC News
4 days ago
- BBC News
Asian elephants from Whipsnade zoo moved to Cheshire
Two Asian elephants have been transported across the country as part of a conservation breeding programme for the endangered 26, and her nine-year-old daughter Elizabeth, moved from Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire to their new home at Chester Zoo in move took months of planning and involved keepers, vets, two lorries, a crane able to carry 100 tonnes, and a team of animal transport experts. Stefan Groeneveld, section manager for elephants at Whipsnade Zoo, said that collaboration between zoos was "integral to keeping a strong and healthy insurance population for animals at risk of extinction in the wild". The elephants were transported in custom-built travel crates, weighing 10 tonnes each, specially designed to keep them comfortable for the duration of their road included being fitted with air conditioning and CCTV cameras for drivers to check on them during the four-hour two lorries, driven by animal transportation experts, travelled in convoy down the motorway with two of the keepers from Whipsnade and Karishma received a health check from the zoo's vet team to confirm they were fit and healthy for the move. Mr Groeneveld said the "wild population of Asian elephants is dwindling due to habitat loss, degradation, and poaching for their ivory tusks", and conservation breeding programmes were vital. He added: "It was a bittersweet day for all of the elephant keepers here when we said farewell to two of our elephants, Beth and Karishma."Karishma arrived at Whipsnade Zoo just over 20 years ago, and she and her daughter Beth, named after HM Queen Elizabeth II, have been much-loved members of our herd."He said that their remaining herd of five elephants, including male Ming Jung, females Kaylee, Lucha, and Donna, and calf Nang Phaya, would continue to contribute to the breeding programme at Whipsnade Zoo. Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
News18
02-08-2025
- Science
- News18
2 Red Panda cubs born at Himalayan Zoological Park, Bulbuley, after seven years
Gangtok, Aug 2 (PTI) Two Red Panda cubs were born in the Himalayan Zoological Park (HZP), Bulbuley near Gangtok, after seven years, an official statement said. The cubs were born to parents Lucky(II) and Mirak. This is the pair's first litter together and marks a significant milestone in the park's conservation efforts, it said. A statement issued by the Park on Friday said that the birth of the cubs recently is especially heartening as it comes after a difficult period in the Red Panda Conservation programme's history – a seven-year gap in successful births due to challenges like the two outbreaks of canine distemper that nearly decimated the captive red panda population. Initiated in 1997, HZP's Conservation Breeding Programme began with a pair of red pandas—Preeti from Rotterdam Zoo and Jugal from Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, Darjeeling. Their successful breeding laid the foundation for a thriving genetic lineage. In 2005, the programme was further strengthened with the inclusion of a wild-origin pair, Lucky and Ram, helping expand and diversify the genetic pool, it said. The statement said that all red pandas born under this programme are tracked through national and international studbooks to ensure healthy genetic variability and global breeding cooperation. Red pandas typically breed in the winter months between November and January. After a gestation period of around five months, females give birth between June and August, in warm, hidden nests. Remarkably, both Lucky(II) and Mirak were observed participating in nest-building—a rare instance of male involvement. However, cub-rearing remains the mother's responsibility, who teaches the young to climb and forage. Any disturbance by predators or humans can result in the cubs being abandoned at this vulnerable age, said the statement. It said that the cubs will be raised by their parents away from the public eye until they are old enough for viewing. These new cubs will stay with their mother for over a year, reaching full size by 12 months and becoming sexually mature by 18 months. Their health and compatibility will then be assessed as part of future breeding strategies. PTI COR RG view comments First Published: August 02, 2025, 17:45 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
