Zoo Ostrava The Annual Report 2009

The way the bull was handled within three months upon male's arrival enabled the elephant team getting
Calvin into the restraint box and caring for the bull's skin by showering, as well as foot treatment. In addition,
the elephant was able to exercise both outdoors and indoors (in the front male stall), even when visitors were
present inside the house, although having been kept in special houses for elephant bulls behind the scenes
before he arrived at Ostrava Zoo.
Calvin introduced to the females, mating
Calvin was uncrated at the zoo around mid-day on 13 May 2009. Following loading the female Jumbo, which
took two hours, the bull walked out of his crate smoothly within some ten minutes, this being something
for which thanks should go to no one but Calvin's long-term keeper Jurgen Kruse of Hannover, who had
accompanied the transported male.
Until 23 May, experience with Calvin and lessons learned could be shared with head keeper Michael Tempelhoff
and his colleague Peter Kokisch from Leipzig Zoo. Thanks to their warning about several insufficiencies,
namely in terms of gate security, which were handled very briefly, the elephant team could continue their
work with Calvin very smoothly. Even though some lacks still existed and had to be resolved later, the current
management of the elephant bull in Ostrava is safe for both the animal and the keepers.
Calvin was first introduced to females Suseela and Vishesh in outdoor enclosures on 17 June. Johti was left
inside the house, as conflicts with the male were expected for reputed dominance of this female, so it was
desired that Calvin first gets the opportunity to establish contacts with the females who were not assumed to
make difficulties, which was eventually confirmed. Everything went all right so as early as the next day, i.e. 18
June, Calvin was reunited with the group. This time it involved all the females, which was still handled by the
bull showing high experience and subsequently even mating Johti several times following ten minutes after
joining the female group. In the afternoon, the bull could not be separated from the females, so the whole
group was left outdoors without allowing the animals to enter the house.
On the second day, Calvin continued mating Johti several times. This time the bull could be separated, so
making the indoor facilities available to the animals at night was now possible. From that day on, the male
stayed out with the females each morning; in the afternoon the elephants were separated. All that time the
animals were undergoing their daily routine without any problems.
On 30 June, Vishesh was mated by Calvin as well. After 16 weeks of waiting for test results, pregnancy was
confirmed in both females based on testing urine samples collected on a routine basis, so there are good
chances that following the long gestation period, which in elephants takes almost two years, Ostrava Zoo can
see their elephant offspring - the first live-born calves in the history of elephant keeping in Czech zoos that
now has exceeded 50 years.
Sperm collection
As not every zoo has the opportunity of keeping an elephant male, which applies to those in the country, but
also in Europe, the elephant sperm is used for artificial insemination, with Ostrava bull Calvin being one of the
few animals trained for such procedures. Included in the insemination scheme has also been one of Usti Zoo
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