Stress Response of Working African Elephants to Transportation and Safari Adventures

Millspaugh, Joshua J.; Burke, Tarryne; Dyk, Gus van; Slotow, Rob; Washburn, Brian E.; Woods, Rami J.

doi:10.2193/2006-015

Cited by 65 publications

(74 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…The effect was apparent in corticosterone levels for longer than from behavioural assays (Burke et al, 2008). Although there was increased stress throughout the population during these disturbances, the levels of corticosterone were still much lower than those associated with natural stress events, for example during thunderstorms (Millspaugh et al, 2007).…”

Section: Short-term Effects On Remaining Elephants (Stress)mentioning

confidence: 80%

“…In another more recent study it was shown that transport of captive elephants did increase their secretion of glucocorticoids. However, the proximity of other known herd members and allowing them to interact, did decrease their stress levels (Millspaugh et al, 2007). Such information may assist translocation teams' efforts to reduce stress in future translocations.…”

Section: Minimising and Monitoring Stress Imposed By Capture Operationsmentioning

confidence: 92%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Effects of Elephants on Ecosystems and Biodiversity

Kerley¹,

Landman²,

Kruger³

et al. 2008

Elephant Management

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ISBN 978 1 86814 479 2All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the express permission, in writing, of both the author and the publisher.Cover photograph by Donald Cook at stock.xchng Cover design, layout and design by Acumen Publishing Solutions, JohannesburgPrinted and bound by Creda Communications, Cape Town Foreword SOUTH AFRICA and its people are blessed with diverse and thriving wildlife. We are also a developing economy with a growing population. From these facts emerges the particular situation of having most of our protected areas surrounded by land that has been transformed, to a greater or lesser extent, by human development. Large mammals, such as elephants, no longer roam the entire landscape, and their populations are no longer completely governed by the laws of nature. Protecting elephants and the ecological systems in which they exist in a practical and sustainable way that balances the needs of humans, elephants and the environment is a challenge to which I am committed.This Assessment was undertaken to reduce the degree of scientific uncertainty associated with decisions that must be made very soon and in the medium-to-long term. It helps to evaluate the costs and benefits associated with each choice, both in economic and ecological terms, and clarifies the legal framework within which they must be made. Collectively the chapters in this report reveal the many successes our country's experts, in collaboration with their peers in neighbouring countries and abroad, have achieved in understanding elephants and their needs, in fields as diverse as veterinary science, ecology, animal behaviour, population and resource modelling.Importantly, the Assessment exposes important gaps in our understanding and thus outlines necessary future avenues of research. This Assessment represents a key milestone in an ongoing Elephant Research Programme.Science does not provide all the information required to resolve the difficult issues raised by the management of elephant in a changing and humandominated world. Many of the required decisions have a strong element of human values implicit in them. How do South Africans wish to treat the other species with which they share our land? Extensive consultation and careful consideration of the values expressed by a wide range of stakeholders is also an essential part of the process of managing elephant in a democratic country.I am grateful to the many experts and interested persons who invested their time, experience and intellect to deliver this Assessment. I look forward to their continued engagement on the issue of elephant management, which is of great interest to many. Marthinus van Schalkwyk Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, 2008 ContentS LiSt oF FigureS LiSt oF boxeS About the AuthorS And ContributorS Brandon Anthony is an assistant professor at the Department of EnvironmentalScienc...

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Section: Short-term Effects On Remaining Elephants (Stress)mentioning

confidence: 80%

Section: Minimising and Monitoring Stress Imposed By Capture Operationsmentioning

confidence: 92%

Effects of Elephants on Ecosystems and Biodiversity

Kerley¹,

Landman²,

Kruger³

et al. 2008

Elephant Management

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“…For validation of a GC assay, we used the stressful situation of sedation and transportation, which is well-known to elicit increased GC output (e.g. [40,42,72]. A native cortisol assay (described by Palme and Möstl [50]) and two cortisol metabolite assays (11b-hydroxyetiocholanolone, described by [16], and 11-oxoetiocholanolone, described by Möstl et al [42]), were tested for their reliability in reflecting adrenocortical activity from orangutan fecal samples.…”

Section: Hormone Analysis and Validation Of Fecal Glucocorticoid And mentioning

confidence: 99%

Species-specific patterns in fecal glucocorticoid and androgen levels in zoo-living orangutans (Pongo spp.)

Weingrill¹,

Willems²,

Zimmermann³

et al. 2011

General and Comparative Endocrinology

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In contrast to most primate species, including the other great apes, orangutans maintain a fission-fusion social system in the wild without being part of a stable community. In zoos, however, they are kept in permanent groups, usually consisting of one adult male and several females. In zoo orangutans, we predict higher levels of glucocorticoids and androgens in the Bornean species compared to its congener from Sumatra, due to the much more solitary lifestyle of Bornean orangutans and the apparent higher frequency of male aggression directed towards females in this species in the wild. To compare hormone levels of the two orangutan species, we validated a fecal glucocorticoid and a fecal androgen assay. Subsequently, fecal samples from a total of 73 female and 38 male orangutans housed in 29 European zoos were analyzed to investigate the effect of species, social group size, age and (for female glucocorticoid levels) reproductive state and the presence of adult males on fecal hormone metabolite concentrations. The results of linear mixed effect models indicate that both male and female Bornean orangutans show a steeper increase in glucocorticoid levels with increasing group size than Sumatran orangutans. We therefore conclude that Sumatran zoo orangutans are better able to adjust to social housing conditions than their Bornean congeners. In addition, our analyses reveal higher glucocorticoid levels in lactating females of both species compared to non-lactating and juvenile females. Concerning androgen levels in males, our analyses revealed significantly higher concentrations in Bornean than Sumatran orangutans. These differences in both glucocorticoid and androgen output between the two species of orangutan are presumably linked to ecological and behavioral differences and could possibly be attributed to phenotypic plasticity. However, given that we found interspecific differences in hormone excretion in captivity, where both species live under very similar conditions, we conclude that this variation has a genetic basis. a b s t r a c tIn contrast to most primate species, including the other great apes, orangutans maintain a fission-fusion social system in the wild without being part of a stable community. In zoos, however, they are kept in permanent groups, usually consisting of one adult male and several females. In zoo orangutans, we predict higher levels of glucocorticoids and androgens in the Bornean species compared to its congener from Sumatra, due to the much more solitary lifestyle of Bornean orangutans and the apparent higher frequency of male aggression directed towards females in this species in the wild. To compare hormone levels of the two orangutan species, we validated a fecal glucocorticoid and a fecal androgen assay. Subsequently, fecal samples from a total of 73 female and 38 male orangutans housed in 29 European zoos were analyzed to investigate the effect of species, social group size, age and (for female glucocorticoid levels) reproductive state and the presence of adult males on f...

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“…However, there are potential drawbacks with the translocation of any wild animal, and one of these is the stress associated with capture, transportation, and post-translocation adjustment (Goymann et al 1999;. For example, Millspaugh et al (2007) recently demonstrated that faecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FGM) concentrations of African elephants living in a hands-on environment increased as a response to transportation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Translocation stress and faecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels in free-ranging African savanna elephants

Viljoen

Ganswindt

Langbauer³

2008

South African Journal of Wildlife Research

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There are local populations of African elephants (Loxodonta africana) which have increased to levels where they are implicated in altering vegetation types. The local reduction of elephant numbers for wildlife management objectives can involve contraception, killing excess animals, or translocation to alternative habitats. The effects these management decisions can have on the physiological stress response of free-ranging African savanna elephants are still not fully understood. We examined the effect of translocation on faecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels of an African elephant family group, which was translocated within the Kruger National Park, South Africa. We found that translocation resulted in a significant increase in faecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels (up to 646 ng/g wet weight) compared to (1) pre-translocation levels in this group, (2) post-translocation levels in this group, and (3) levels measured in undisturbed 'control' groups in the area. However, the faecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels had returned to <100 ng/g by the time the translocated animals had navigated their way back to their previous home range, covering 300 km in 23 days.

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Stress Response of Working African Elephants to Transportation and Safari Adventures

Cited by 65 publications

References 15 publications

Effects of Elephants on Ecosystems and Biodiversity

Effects of Elephants on Ecosystems and Biodiversity

Species-specific patterns in fecal glucocorticoid and androgen levels in zoo-living orangutans (Pongo spp.)

Translocation stress and faecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels in free-ranging African savanna elephants

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