Reproductive Endocrinology and Musth Indicators in a Captive Asian Elephant (<i>Elephas maximus</i>)

Duer, Connie; Tomasi, Tom; Abramson, Charles I.

doi:10.1177/0033294116667092

Cited by 16 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…This was confirmed by the finding that use of hooks was not associated with years of camp operation or the type of work elephants were involved in. However, new camps were less likely, or perhaps less willing, to have bull elephants on site because of the increased danger they pose because of musth, a temporary state of heightened aggressive and unpredictable behavior in association with elevated testosterone ( Duer, Tomasi & Abramson, 2016 ). Overall, compared to earlier surveys, elephant management practices appear to have improved, which could signal a positive trend toward improving animal care.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changing trends in elephant camp management in northern Thailand and implications for welfare

Bansiddhi

Brown

Thitaram

et al. 2018

PeerJ

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BackgroundElephant camps are among the most attractive destinations in Thailand for tourists from many countries. A wide range of management strategies are used by these camps, which can have varied impacts on health and welfare of elephants.MethodsThis study surveyed 33 camps with 627 elephants in northern Thailand to quantify the types of management practices and work activities experienced by captive elephants. The survey consisted of an interview with camp owners, and direct observations of camp operations.ResultsData revealed considerable variation in elephant demographics, work activities, elephant care (i.e., housing, restraint, nutrition, health care, and breeding), and mahout management among the camps. In general, older camps (those in existence for >16 years) were involved in more intensive activities, like riding with saddles and shows. By contrast, newer camps provided more one-on-one activities for tourists and elephants, and emphasized more intimate, relaxing experiences (e.g., feeding, bathing, walking) than entertainment. A demographic shift also was observed, with elephants 20 years of age and younger having a sex ratio closer to 1:1 compared to elephants in older age categories (1:4.1–1:9.8).DiscussionShifts in elephant management to less intensive activities were observed, which could have positive implications for elephant welfare. The shifting sex ratio suggests successful captive breeding is resulting in the birth of more males, which could present new welfare challenges in the future, because bulls can be more difficult to manage and socialize, and are more likely to be kept isolated during musth. Ultimately, the goal is to understand how camp activities affect welfare, and to develop science-based guidelines and standards to aid in the management of both male and female elephants used in tourism.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changing trends in elephant camp management in northern Thailand and implications for welfare

Bansiddhi

Brown

Thitaram

et al. 2018

PeerJ

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“…In free-ranging African elephants in the Amboseli National Park, DNA analysis revealed that 74% of sires were in musth at the time of conception (Hollister-Smith et al 2007). In a study on captive Asian elephants in the USA, no correlation between the onset of musth and the onset of oestrus was found (Duer et al 2016), but Dow et al (2011) measured slightly higher cyclicity rates (by approximately 11%) in female African elephants in facilities housing a bull than in those without a bull.…”

Section: Intraspecific Interactionsmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…In a study on captive Asian elephants in the USA, no correlation between the onset of musth and the onset of oestrus was found (Duer et al. ), but Dow et al. () measured slightly higher cyclicity rates (by approximately 11%) in female African elephants in facilities housing a bull than in those without a bull.…”

Section: Factors Influencing Reproduction In Free‐ranging Semi‐captimentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seasonality of reproduction in Asian elephantsElephas maximusand African elephantsLoxodonta africana: underlying photoperiodic cueing?

et al. 2018

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Animals in seasonal environments often rely on photoperiodicity to time their reproduction. Elephants have a gestation length of approximately two years and a historical geographic distribution including higher latitudes than at present, so the evolution of a seasonal breeding pattern cued by photoperiodicity and timed to the long‐day period is a theoretical option in both species. We reviewed literature on reproductive patterns in free‐ranging, semi‐captive and captive Asian and African elephants, photoperiodic cueing, seasonal variation in body condition, and other factors influencing their reproduction, as well as data from zoological collections on the timing of births. Most of the free‐ranging and all the semi‐captive and captive elephant populations showed a moderate yet distinct seasonal breeding pattern. Peak breeding activity of free‐ranging Asian elephants took place in either the dry or the wet season, with no preference for short‐day or long‐day breeding at low latitudes (close to the equator) but a preference for long‐day breeding at higher latitudes. Semi‐captive Asian elephants mainly bred in the dry season when body condition was lowest and day‐lengths were increasing. Peak conception often occurred in the wet season in free‐ranging African elephants when body condition was highest, with no evident preference for short‐day or long‐day breeding at low latitudes but preference for long‐day breeding at higher latitudes. Asian and African elephants in zoos at latitudes from 43 to 53°N tended to conceive more often during spring and summer, i.e. when day‐lengths were increasing. Body condition was not reported to vary significantly throughout the year and was rather high compared to in the wild. We hypothesise that elephants are ‘long‐day breeders’ in which the photoperiodic timing of conception can be influenced by many additional factors. Strategies to encourage natural conception in captive populations should include measures aimed at increasing breeding incentives in the northern hemisphere spring.

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“…It has been reported that data or behavior ratings by observers who are familiar with the individual animals, such as their caretakers, tend to be reliable and valid (Gosling, , ; Meagher, ). Keeper‐centric data collection frameworks have taken a variety of forms, often tailored to the resources and the most pressing questions related to species management, and have been applied to a wide range of species including black rhinoceros ( Diceros bicornis ; Carlstead et al, ); cheetah ( Acinonyx jubatus ; Wielebnowski, ); gorilla ( Gorilla gorilla gorilla ; Less, Kuhar, Dennis, & Lukas, ); and Asian elephant ( Elephas maximus ; Duer, Tomasi, & Abramson, ). Robinson et al (, ) demonstrated that keeper questionnaires can be a useful tool in collecting data on animal welfare and personality.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Approaches to studying behavior in captive sloth bears through animal keeper feedback

Khadpekar¹,

Whiteman

Durrant

et al. 2018

Zoo Biology

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Animal keepers at zoos and wildlife rescue centers often possess in-depth knowledge of the health and behavior of the individuals under their care. While it is often not feasible for keepers to regularly collect behavior data through formal scientific methods, efforts should be made to find alternative means to capture this knowledge. We investigated the use of keeper feedback to study the behavior of sloth bears at the Agra Bear Rescue Facility (ABRF; Agra, India). We prepared a survey with 5 questions focused on behaviors indicative of playfulness, boldness, aggressiveness, and the tendency to express self-directed behaviors (SDB). We asked keepers to rate bears on a Likert scale from 1 (least likely to exhibit a behavior) to 5 (most likely) for 44 adult female bears (5-21 years of age). We validated this method by comparing keeper ratings of SDB with formal behavior observations, finding that time of day had an influence on the accuracy of keeper assessments. We found a significant negative correlation between housing bears in larger groups (>15) and SDB. In addition, we correlated ratings given by keepers for all study behaviors. Social play had significant negative correlation with aggression toward people. There was no correlation between social play and aggression toward other bears, possibly due to the existence of cohesive social groups in group housing or high dimensionality of the data. We found that keeper feedback is an efficient tool to gather behavior data on captive sloth bears and recommend its use in future studies. K E Y W O R D S enrichment, self-directed behavior (SDB), social interactions, stereotypy, questionnaire

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Reproductive Endocrinology and Musth Indicators in a Captive Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus)

Cited by 16 publications

References 36 publications

Changing trends in elephant camp management in northern Thailand and implications for welfare

Changing trends in elephant camp management in northern Thailand and implications for welfare

Seasonality of reproduction in Asian elephantsElephas maximusand African elephantsLoxodonta africana: underlying photoperiodic cueing?

Approaches to studying behavior in captive sloth bears through animal keeper feedback

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