Aung Bo's big move
After 12 years here at Chester Zoo, we’re set to wave goodbye to 22-year-old male Asian elephant, Aung Bo.
Aung Bo first arrived in Chester from a zoo in Seville, Spain back in 2012.
Since then, we’ve watched him grow and seen his personality shine. He’s very calm and has always got along famously with all of the other elephants in the herd, and the vast team of keepers at the zoo who have cared for him day in, day out.
Now, as part of our commitment to the European Endangered Species Breeding Programme (EEP) for this highly threatened species, it’s time for Aung Bo to move on to pastures new in order to maintain a broad genetic diversity in the Asian elephants which are cared for in conservation zoos across the continent. He’s making the short trip to Dublin Zoo, which has been identified as the perfect place for him to move to thanks to careful scientific match making and genetic analysis.
Although we’ll very much miss Aung Bo, it’s natural for males to drift in and out of family herds. So, when Aung Bo moves in with his new herd at Dublin Zoo, it will be replicating elephant behaviour in the wild. And who knows, maybe another male will drift into the herd here at Chester in the future.
Richard Fraser, our Team Manager of elephants
In preparation for his move, members of the team at his new zoo in Dublin have spent time here in Chester learning all things Aung Bo, including everything he enjoys right down to his subtlest personality traits that make him such a great character.
Similarly, one of our elephant care experts who has built up a close relationship with Aung Bo over the years, will be right by his side all the way to his new home where they’ll stay with him to make sure he has a familiar face around while he settles in with his new family.
Our team has been planning and preparing for him to make the journey for almost a year, including helping him to slowly get used to a special crate which has been designed to keep him safe and comfortable throughout the duration of the trip.
Aung Bo leaves behind a fantastic legacy in Chester with three beautiful calves, Riva (4), Anjan (7) and Indali (8). They are all incredibly important additions to the endangered species breeding programme.
In the case of Indali comes the remarkable story of a rare miracle which Aung Bo played a big part in. A virus called EEHV is a real threat to elephants all over the world. So, when Indali, one of Aung Bo’s daughters, fell ill with EEHV, everyone at the zoo was incredibly worried. We’re part of a global community committed to researching EEHV and finding ways to treat and prevent it and, thanks to the knowledge and experience we’ve developed over the years, experts were able to save Indali’s life with Aung Bo’s help. As his blood type matched Indali’s, he could provide blood plasma enabling us to carry out transfusions to help her fight the virus – providing a major milestone for conservation and breakthrough in treatment for EEHV.
We’re leading global scientific efforts to develop a vaccine that will help prevent EEHV in elephants on a global scale. Research efforts and vaccine trials at the zoo are ongoing and we’re hopeful that, one day, we’ll be able to find a viable treatment and remove EEHV as major threat to Asian elephants.
We know that Aung Bo will be extremely well cared for by the team at Dublin Zoo and we look forward to hearing about his progress over the coming weeks, months and years as we collectively work to safeguard the Asian elephant from extinction.