Elephant cow Panang returned to her mother after 28 years
After a good 28 years of separation, the Munich elephant cow Panang has been returned to her mother in Zurich. The departure and arrival in a special container and the journey on a flatbed truck went smoothly, said the team leader of the elephant keepers at Hellabrunn Zoo, Daniel Materna, on Wednesday.
On the first day after her arrival on Tuesday, Panang should first have the opportunity to explore her new surroundings. In the coming days, the first meeting with her mother Ceyla and her sister Farha is planned. The latter has never seen the Asian elephant cow before.
According to the zoo, Panang was born at Zurich Zoo in 1989 and moved to Munich a good six years later. Her sister Farha was only born in 2005 and lives with her mother Ceyla-Himali in Zurich.
The reunion of the family was recommended by the European Endangered Species Program (EEP). The aim is for elephants in zoos to be able to live in family groups with related elephant cows, just like their counterparts in the wild.
Zurich Zoo announced that it is assumed that Ceyla-Himali will recognize her daughter even after 28 years of separation - and that she will be able to convince Farha to accept her hitherto unknown older sister.
According to the latest estimates, there are still around 50,000 Asian elephants in the wild - and the trend is decreasing, said Zurich Zoo Director Severin Dressen. "In order to protect wild elephants from extinction, we need internationally coordinated breeding in zoos to build up a reserve population."
Panag's reunion with her mother and sister is significant for nature conservation, as it aligns with the European Endangered Species Program's goal of keeping elephants in zoos in family groups like their wild counterparts. This practice can help build a reserve population to aid in the protection of Asian elephants, which are currently decreasing in number, with approximately 50,000 remaining in the wild.
Source: www.dpa.com
