115 Results Found

This study investigated the sedative effects of dexmedetomidine in Asian elephants. We hypothesized that 2 µg/kg dexmedetomidine would provide sufficient standing sedation. A crossover design study was performed in three Asian elephants. Each e...

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 s...

Evaluating the association between milk-containing diets and the microbiomes of young Asian elephants could assist establishing optimal breast milk supplementation to improve offspring survival rates. The microbiomes of young Asian elephants on diffe...

In 2021, an unprecedented major movement of Asian elephants in China aroused the curiosity of hundreds of millions of people around the world. For research objectives, we firstly reproduce the movement route of Asian elephants and reveal their geogra...

Progesterone and progesterone derivatives are key hormones in pregnancy maintenance in mammalian species. Cessation of pregnancy, including birth or miscarriage, is certain if levels of these hormones drop below a given species-specific requirement n...

The Asian elephant population is continuously declining due to several extrinsic reasons in their range countries, but also due to diseases in captive populations worldwide. One of these diseases, the elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV) hemo...

Humans overlap with Asian elephants, resulting in frequent costly human–elephant conflicts, which disturb and even threaten local residents. In this study, we treat provincial and national nature reserves where Asian elephants still exist and o...

The rare northward migration of wild Asian elephants in Xishuangbanna, China, has attracted global attention. Elephant migration is a complex ecological process, and the factors driving this long-distance migration remain elusive. In this study, fres...

Habitat fragmentation due to human activities creates threats to wild Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) and increases human-elephant conflicts (HEC). This study analyzed connectivity maps among the core habitats of wild elephants in the eastern part...

Background: The interaction and co-evolution between the gut microbiome and the host play important roles in the host’s physiology, nutrition, and health. Diet is considered an important driver of differences in the gut microbiota; however, res...

In 2021, the northward migration of Asian elephants in southwestern China’s Yunnan Province attracted significant public attention. Exploring the behavior of Asian elephants will help to better protect this endangered species and further realiz...

Salivary immunoglobulin A (sIgA) has been proposed as a potential indicator of welfare for various species, including Asian elephants, and may be related to adrenal cortisol responses. This study aimed to distinguish circadian rhythm effects on sIgA...

Obesity is a prevalent health issue among captive wildlife, but the obesity status of captive Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) in China has not been systematically investigated. This study assessed obesity in 204 captive Asian elephants across 43 fa...

The aim of this study was to examine relationships among serum progestagens, cortisol, and prolactin in pregnant and normal cycling Asian elephants living in tourist camps in northern Thailand. Samples were collected twice a month for 22 months from...

Asian elephants are endangered, and the long-term viability of the species depends on integrative approaches to address the sustainability of in-situ and ex-situ populations. Growing evidence shows that male elephants exhibit extensive and flexible s...

The Asian elephant (Elephas maximus Linnaeus) is a globally endangered species, an internationally protected species, and a first-class protected animal in China. However, future climate change and human activities exacerbate the instability of its h...

The objective of this study was to find relationships among serum IGF-1, serum testosterone, seminal plasma IGF-1 concentrations and semen parameters in Asian elephants (Elephas maximus). A total of 17 ejaculates (one to three ejaculates/bull) were c...

Asian elephants have been an important part of wildlife ecotourism in Thailand for over two decades. Elephants in tourist camps are exposed to a variety of management styles and daily activities that can potentially affect health and welfare. This st...

Elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus hemorrhagic disease (EEHV-HD) is a virulent disease that causes severe hemorrhage and sudden death in Asian elephant calves. A change in hematology profiles is one indicator of infection before clinical signs app...

Oxidative stress is a pathological condition that can have adverse effects on animal health, although little research has been conducted on wildlife species. In this study, blood was collected from captive Asian elephants for the assessment of five s...

Captive Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) frequently present to hospitals with complex, multisystemic diseases, yet veterinarians lack objective tools to predict and classify clinical outcomes. Decision-making often relies on experience or anecdote,...

Historically, behaviour of zoo housed species during hours of limited staff and visitor presence has been poorly studied, largely due to the lack of appropriate technology. Advances in digital monitoring equipment and facility design by European elep...

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of season on the body condition score (BCS), the characteristics of the estrous cycle (luteal phase [LPL], follicular phase [FPL], estrous cycle [ECL] lengths, and the start of the luteal phase [SL...

The population development of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) has been greatly affected by the intensification of human activities. In this study, development of the Asian elephant population under the influence of human disturbance was analyzed lo...

The welfare status of elephants under human care has been a contentious issue for two decades or more in numerous western countries. Much effort has gone into assessing the welfare of captive elephants at individual and population levels with little...

Accredited zoos and aquariums value superior animal husbandry and strive to ensure that the physical, psychological, and social needs of animals are met. In North America, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) relies on species-specific standar...

We identified a small, supernumerary marker chromosome (sSMC) in two phenotypically normal Asian elephants (Elephas maximus): a female (2n = 57,XX,+mar) and her male offspring (2n = 57,XY,+mar). sSMCs are defined as structurally abnormal chromosomes...

Optimal veterinary care of managed elephant populations is vital due to the continued decline of wild populations. Appropriate health monitoring and accurate disease diagnosis include hematologic evaluation. Elephant hematology is distinctive in that...

Three cases of double infection with elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV) types 1A and 4 in captive Asian elephants are presented. The first calf was a 4-year-old female that showed initial signs of lethargy and depression. The second calf wa...

Recent empirical evidence for complex cognition in elephants suggests that greater attention to comparative studies between non-human primates and other animals is warranted. We have previously shown that elephants possess the ability to judge the di...

The skills, knowledge, and expertise of mahouts have been recognized by organizations and individual managers who are responsible for captive elephants and by academics, where they have been a source of studies from the ethnographic to animal behavio...

Mitochondrial displacement loop (mt D-loop) sequence analyses have greatly improved assessments of genetic diversity, structure, and population dynamics of endangered species threatened by climate change and habitat loss. Tracking population haplotyp...

This article, based on the sustainable livelihood framework and survey data from 1264 households in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Puer City, and Lincang City in Yunnan Province, China, analyzes the impact mechanism of livelihood capital on...

Climate change and human activities have caused dramatic impacts on biodiversity. Although a number of international agreements or initiatives have been launched to mitigate the biodiversity loss, the erosion of terrestrial biome habitats is inevitab...

The Asian elephant is mostly confined to mountainous ranges and therefore risks population fragmentation if hard protected area (PA) boundaries near steep slopes prevent movement. We tested whether elephant gene flow is (i) controlled by slope and (i...

The Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) is a flagship species of tropical rainforests, and it has generated much concern. In this case, the gut bacterial communities of captive and wild Asian elephants are particularly noteworthy. We aim to compare the...

In recent years, the northward migration of elephant herds in China’s Yunnan Province has attracted unprecedented public attention to the conservation of Asian elephants, with habitat fragmentation and human disturbance thought to be key factor...

Elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV) can cause a devastating haemorrhagic disease in young Asian elephants worldwide. Here, we report the death of two young Asian elephants after suffering from acute haemorrhagic disease due to EEHV-1A infect...

Land development has impacted natural landforms extensively, causing a decline in resources and negative consequences to elephant populations, habitats, and gene flow. Often, elephants seek to fulfill basic needs by wandering into nearby human commun...

The human–elephant conflict is a current issue that receives global attention and occurs in all elephant-distribution countries. This paper focuses on Pu′er and Xishuangbanna cities in the distribution area of Asian elephants in Yunnan Pr...

Elephant endotheliotropic herpesviruses (EEHVs) may cause acute, often lethal, hemorrhagic disease (EEHV-HD) in young elephants. Prevalence of EEHV in different elephant populations is still largely unknown. In order to improve diagnostic tools for t...

Toxoplasma gondii is the causative agent of toxoplasmosis in humans and various animal species worldwide. In Thailand, seroprevalence studies on T. gondii have focused on domestic animals, and information on infections in Asian elephants (Elephas max...

Background: Elephants in Thailand have changed their roles from working in the logging industry to tourism over the past two decades. In 2020, there were approximately 2700 captive elephants participating in activities such as riding and trekking. Du...

Disease caused by elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV) infection is the most highly fatal hemorrhagic disease in Asian elephant calves worldwide. To date, adult elephants that have been infected with EEHV have predominantly displayed mild cli...

Crop-raiding by elephants is one of the most prevalent forms of human–elephant conflict and is increasing with the spread of agriculture into wildlife range areas. As the magnitude of conflicts between people and elephants increases across Afri...

Tuberculosis is a major global concern. Tuberculosis in wildlife is a risk for zoonotic transmission and becoming one of the challenges for conservation globally. In elephants, the number of cases is likely rising. The aim of this study was to identi...

In this study, we analyzed the accidents associated with the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus Linnaeus) and issues pertaining to compensation in Xishuangbanna Nature Reserve from 2011 to 2018. We conducted interviews and a questionnaire survey with 21...

Sound production mechanisms set the parameter space available for transmitting biologically relevant information in vocal signals. Low–frequency rumbles play a crucial role in coordinating social interactions in elephants’ complex fission...

Given the current and future threats to Asian elephants (Elephas maximus), maintaining a sustainable ex situ population is crucial for the longevity of the species. Using Infrared Thermography (IRT), thermoregulation of Asian elephants at low ambient...

Asian elephants are a principal cause of human-wildlife conflict. This results in the death/injury of elephants and humans and large-scale crop and property damage. Most current human-elephant conflict (HEC) mitigation tools lack the flexibility to a...