Herd project 'driven by gate takings'

Burma at Auckland Zoo. Photo / Herald on Sunday

A wildlife biologist says a plan to bring an Asian elephant herd to Auckland Zoo is not about conservation - it's about gate takings.

Dr Wayne Linklater, from Victoria University, said Asian elephants were not threatened in the wild and other species were in greater need.

"It's not appropriate to use the conservation argument to justify bringing any large animals here and the welfare issue compounds the problem. It's fundamentally driven by gate takings."

The zoo intends to spend $13 million enlarging its enclosure and transporting up to 10 elephants from Asia to join its sole elephant, Burma.

Councillor Graeme Mulholland, chairman of the zoo board, said bringing in the herd would be part of a worldwide conservation project to protect Asian elephants.

Dr Linklater disagreed. "These are Asian elephants - it's unlikely that having a herd of these in New Zealand will have conservation benefits in the subcontinent."

Safe spokesman Hans Kriek said elephants had been in zoos for hundreds of years and that had not contributed anything to conservation. Breeding rates were very low for captive elephants, and even if some were born, they would not be released back into the wild.

Dr Linklater said it was questionable whether the zoo could manage the welfare of a herd of elephants in captivity because of health issues. Even if acute conditions were addressed, rates of disease and general chronic injuries such as foot problems were high.

"The only way they could justify it would be if they were used as advocacy animals. But then why advocate for a species which is widespread in Asia?"

Breeding issues were also a concern. Dr Linklater said a herd of 10 was not large enough to be genetically viable because of inbreeding, which led to birth defects and poor reproductive condition.