What is your opinion on parent selection before AI in focus on subspecies of parent?

Date: 2004-06-04 from Mr Stanley in Czech Republic

Question

First I want to say you that I find this website really excellent and its very useful that someone has done this.

I have a question for you. What is your opinion on parent selection before AI in focus on subspecies of parent, so that the subspecies don´t crossbread??Thank you very much for your answer.
Sincerely Stanley

Answer

About parent selection before AI, I doubt this is very important at the present stage, which may change in the future however. The scientists doesnt really identify 100% true different subspecies of Elephas today, as to my knowledge, (with the exception of the Borneo elephant maybe) they seems to be too less diversefied.

But in regard of the africans; they are now split into species and not subspecies, why there is a higher need to use a parent selection bevor AI of course.

The present captive population of asian elephants will probably never be reintroduced into nature, why the present breeding and AI must be seen more as a closed scientific research, also something that might change in the future.

When we reach the stage that theres a potential chance that captive elephants may be introduced into a wild life, the situation will change, and there will be an absolut need to seek parents out from the same subspecies.

Until then, when speaking about elephants that will be kept in a captive situation, I see a far more important reason to pick parents out of temperament and agressivness, trying to breed elephants which cope better with captive environment, and are easier to keep in eyes of staff safety and animal wellfare. Also a selection of the sex of the new baby (like: only cows) would be very good for the management of captive elephants.

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