| Frequently
Asked Questions: |
| Considering
the risks associated with captive elephant births, why breed
elephants at all? |
| How
is Rafiki's health after the stillbirth |
|
How is the Zoo staff taking the stillbirth of Rafiki's calf? |
|
Why was the calf so large? |
|
Would you have done anything differently? |
|
After this experience, will you alter the plans for Renee's
delivery? |
|
If the birth had taken place inside or the labor hadn't progressed
so rapidly, would you have been able to save the calf? |
|
Couldn't you have performed a Caesarean section to save the
calf? |
|
Will another artificial insemination be attempted on Rafiki? |
|
Will the calf, though stillborn, somehow serve the cause of
elephant conservation? |
|
|
| Q: |
Considering
the risks associated with captive elephant births, why breed
elephants at all? |
| A: |
 Because
the captive population of female African elephants is aging,
there are fewer and fewer individuals of breeding age left.
It's critical to attempt to breed this threatened species
while at least some reproductively viable elephants remain.
Also,
captive elephants
serve as ambassadors for their species. To save the elephant,
we must also save its natural habitat. Elephants born in
captivity will remain in captivity to help get this message
across to people.
more
questions |
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| Q: |
How is Rafiki's health after the stillbirth? |
| A: |
Rafiki is doing very well. The exceptionally large calf
she delivered could have jeopardized her health, but she
came through the birth with no complications. We attribute
this to the exercise and nutrition program Rafiki and Renee
have been on since before they conceived, which put her
in excellent physical condition for delivery.
more
questions |
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| Q: |
How
is the Zoo staff taking the stillbirth of Rafiki's calf? |
| A: |
Even
though the staff was well aware of the risks associated with
captive elephant births and was confident that everything
had been done to facilitate a successful delivery, the loss
of Rafiki's calf is a source of great sorrow.
more questions |
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|
| Q: |
Why
was the calf so large? |
| A: |
This
is not yet fully understood. The calf's size may have been
due simply to normal variation, as one might expect among
human infants. For example, one human baby might weigh 6.5
pounds at birth, another might weigh 9 pounds, and still
another might weigh 11 pounds.
Another
possible explanation is that Rafiki is relatively large
herself (she's noticeably taller than Renee even
though Renee is actually the older of the two) and
may tend to produce larger-than-average calves.
more
questions |
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| Q: |
Would
you have done anything differently? |
| A: |
No.
We believe that we did everything within our control to facilitate
a successful birth. In fact, Dr. Tim Reichard, The Toledo
Zoo's Director of Animal Health and Nutrition, believes that
the way the birth took place and the outcome were very similar
to what would have happened in the wild.
more questions |
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|
| Q: |
After
this experience, will you alter the plans for Renee's delivery? |
| A: |
Our
approach to Renee's delivery will not change due to the stillbirth
of Rafiki's calf. Preparation for the birth began many months
in advance, including placing Rafiki and Renee on a special
diet and exercise regimen. Though we are greatly saddened
by the loss of the calf, everyone here at the Zoo is grateful
that Rafiki is in good condition and that no member of our
elephant team was harmed during the birth.
more questions |
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| Q: |
If
the birth had taken place inside or the labor hadn't progressed
so rapidly, would you have been able to save the calf? |
| A: |
We
believe that the stillbirth was due to the large size of the
calf and was not related to the timing or location of the
delivery.
more questions |
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|
| Q: |
Couldn't
you have performed a Caesarean section to save the calf? |
| A: |
C-sections
have only been attempted a few times on elephants. In each
case, the mother did not survive the procedure. We decided
during the research stage that we would not put Rafiki's life
in jeopardy by performing a C-section. The only circumstance
under which a C-section would have been attempted would have
been if Rafiki's death was imminent and it was the only way
to save the calf.
more questions |
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|
| Q: |
Will
another artificial insemination be attempted on Rafiki? |
| A: |
Our
priority now is to continue Renee's prenatal program and to
focus on her upcoming birth. Once we've reached that milestone,
we will re-evaluate future breeding attempts.
more questions |
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|
| Q: |
Will
the calf, though stillborn, somehow serve the cause of elephant
conservation? |
| A: |
Even
though we didn't get the outcome we hoped for with the birth
of Rafiki's calf, the entire process leading up to the birth
has contributed significantly to the future of elephant breeding
and the conservation of this species. The Toledo Zoo knew
the risks associated with captive elephant births, yet we
chose to assume those risks so that we could share the knowledge
and experience gained through the process with other institutions.
more questions |
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Rafiki's
Calf is stillborn
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