Elephant Calf Dies at Vallejo park
By Corey Lyons
Contra Costa Newspapers
March 27, 2003
An African elephant at Six Flags Marine World in Vallejo has delivered a stillborn baby, the third pachyderm to die at the 140-acre theme park since October.
Misha, who had been artificially inseminated, delivered a dead calf early Friday after a 22-month gestation period.
"It's tremendously disappointing for us," said park spokesman Jeff Jouett. "It's a devastating loss for the trainers and vets who worked with Misha for so long."
Misha, 22, has made a good recovery and is not showing any signs of ill health or depression, he said.
A post-mortem exam Friday at UC Davis determined the umbilical cord had snapped during the delivery, killing the calf, Jouett said. "Before the baby could reach the ground, it had expired," he said.
The 280-pound baby would have been the first for Misha, who was artificially inseminated in May 2001.
The loss occurred less than six months after Tika, a 24-year-old African elephant, had had a calf die in her womb. Tika was euthanized in November from untreatable internal infections. That calf would have been the seventh in the world born after being conceived through artificial insemination.
Animal rights activists worry about the continued risks to captive elephants and their babies.
Fifty-five elephants died in accredited U.S. zoos between 1996 and 2002, including 12 stillborn babies, according to records provided by the American Zoological and Aquarium Association.
"I think elephants are extremely brilliant, and when you do artificial insemination from the get-go, it affects their whole psychological well-being," said Pat Derby[CJL3], co-founder of the Performing Animal Welfare Society in Galt.
"I don't know if it's a will to die or depression. It's not normal. And it's not working."
Marine World officials say captive breeding programs may have difficult setbacks, but also are necessary for the species' survival.
"First births are problematic for all animals, including humans," Jouett said. "We're working to take a positive step on behalf of elephants.
"Unless someone steps up and does the work to learn more about reproduction and to develop alternatives and avenues for survival, they will be extinct."
About 400,000 to 500,000 African elephants remain in the wild.
Park officials plan to keep close tabs on Misha to ensure that she makes a full recovery.
Contra Costa Newspapers
March 27, 2003
An African elephant at Six Flags Marine World in Vallejo has delivered a stillborn baby, the third pachyderm to die at the 140-acre theme park since October.
Misha, who had been artificially inseminated, delivered a dead calf early Friday after a 22-month gestation period.
"It's tremendously disappointing for us," said park spokesman Jeff Jouett. "It's a devastating loss for the trainers and vets who worked with Misha for so long."
Misha, 22, has made a good recovery and is not showing any signs of ill health or depression, he said.
A post-mortem exam Friday at UC Davis determined the umbilical cord had snapped during the delivery, killing the calf, Jouett said. "Before the baby could reach the ground, it had expired," he said.
The 280-pound baby would have been the first for Misha, who was artificially inseminated in May 2001.
The loss occurred less than six months after Tika, a 24-year-old African elephant, had had a calf die in her womb. Tika was euthanized in November from untreatable internal infections. That calf would have been the seventh in the world born after being conceived through artificial insemination.
Animal rights activists worry about the continued risks to captive elephants and their babies.
Fifty-five elephants died in accredited U.S. zoos between 1996 and 2002, including 12 stillborn babies, according to records provided by the American Zoological and Aquarium Association.
"I think elephants are extremely brilliant, and when you do artificial insemination from the get-go, it affects their whole psychological well-being," said Pat Derby[CJL3], co-founder of the Performing Animal Welfare Society in Galt.
"I don't know if it's a will to die or depression. It's not normal. And it's not working."
Marine World officials say captive breeding programs may have difficult setbacks, but also are necessary for the species' survival.
"First births are problematic for all animals, including humans," Jouett said. "We're working to take a positive step on behalf of elephants.
"Unless someone steps up and does the work to learn more about reproduction and to develop alternatives and avenues for survival, they will be extinct."
About 400,000 to 500,000 African elephants remain in the wild.
Park officials plan to keep close tabs on Misha to ensure that she makes a full recovery.
posted by Corey at 4:12 PM
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