Non-Invasive Assessment of Physiological Stress in Captive Asian Elephants
1
Laboratory for the Conservation of Endangered Species, CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Uppal Road, Hyderabad 500007, India
2
Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Authority, Chennai 400001, India
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Animals 2019, 9(8), 553; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9080553
Received: 15 July 2019
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Revised: 25 July 2019
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Accepted: 27 July 2019
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Published: 14 August 2019
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Captive Elephant Welfare and Behaviour)
Simple Summary
Fecal glucocorticoid metabolite (fGCM) concentrations were examined in captive Asian elephants in relation to sex, body condition score, and working conditions. A total of 870 samples from 37 elephants in four elephant facilities were collected. We used a cortisol enzyme immunoassay for quantification of fGCM concentrations in fecal samples. Mean fGCM varied significantly across elephant facilities. Female elephants born in the wild exhibited elevated fGCM concentrations across all the facilities compared to males and captive-born elephants.
Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) populations, both in the wild and in captivity, have been continually declining over the decades. The present study examined the physiological stress response of captive Asian elephants in relation to body condition score and different working conditions. A total of 870 dung samples of 37 captive elephants (24 males and 13 females) from four facilities were collected to examine fecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations (fGCM). The elephants in forest camps with exposure to natural habitats had a higher body condition score than those in more confined spaces. Wild born elephants and females (except in one case) had higher concentrations of fGCM than captive born elephants and males, respectively. Elephants engaged in the Dussehra festival had elevated fGCM concentrations than their counterparts at Mysore zoo. We recommend a few management practices for the long-term survival of rapidly declining captive elephant populations.
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Keywords:
Asian elephant; non-invasive method; fecal glucocorticoid; stress; workload; management
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MDPI and ACS Style
Kumar, V.; Pradheeps, M.; Kokkiligadda, A.; Niyogi, R.; Umapathy, G. Non-Invasive Assessment of Physiological Stress in Captive Asian Elephants. Animals 2019, 9, 553. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9080553
AMA Style
Kumar V, Pradheeps M, Kokkiligadda A, Niyogi R, Umapathy G. Non-Invasive Assessment of Physiological Stress in Captive Asian Elephants. Animals. 2019; 9(8):553. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9080553
Chicago/Turabian StyleKumar, Vinod, Muthulingam Pradheeps, Adiseshu Kokkiligadda, Rajashekhar Niyogi, and Govindhaswamy Umapathy. 2019. "Non-Invasive Assessment of Physiological Stress in Captive Asian Elephants" Animals 9, no. 8: 553. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9080553
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