Street Theatre Inspires Human-Elephant Coexistence

How do you reach a broad audience on a very difficult but important topic? In the southern part of India, near the Anamalai Wildlife Reserve, they are using street theatre to educate local community members of all ages on how to coexist with the elephants living nearby.

Community members of all ages gather to see & participate in street performances focused on Human-Elephant Coexistence

In March, 15 plays were performed for audiences in eight villages bordering on the reserve where human elephant conflict levels still remain at critical levels. In this part of India people and elephants constantly live in close proximity to each other, sometimes competing for the same resources. The professionally written and performed plays are designed to teach area inhabitants how to coexist peacefully with elephants by instructing them on elephant behavior, “do’s and don’ts” of elephant conflict and protecting oneself and family. Additionally, the plays provide new ways of teaching others in their community about the importance of elephants and elephant safety.

Street plays gather large crowds & teach about elephant behavior & how to peacefully coexist with elephants
 

In the state of Tamil Nadu, plays like these are quite popular and culturally relevant. It is hoped that through these performances, awareness can be brought to the possibility of human-elephant coexistence and attitudes towards elephants can be changed for the better!

Street plays such as this are a culturally relevant method to inform communities. They are professionally written & produced by experts dedicated to the protection of elephants & humans

Asian Elephant Support is delighted to have been able to support this creative and unique approach to conservation and we look forward to reporting more on this when programs for school children in the area take place later this year! Help ensure more information about how to safely coexist with elephants is brought to communities living in and around elephant habitat. Donate here.  

Dr. Mamatha Sathyanarayana, Mysore, India Visit to Denver EMA

Reflections on My Participation in the 40th Annual Elephant Managers Association Conference
October 7-11, 2019, Denver, CO 

By AES Grantee,
Dr. Mamatha Sathyanarayana, Mysore, India

Presentation Summary:  Fifteen minute presentation started with my self-introduction, continued with power point presentation about the AES supported Asian Elephant Conservation Education and Mahouts Empowering Programmes starting in 2014 till current date.
 
“Mahouts to Conserve Asian Elephants”
Mahouts play a critical role in elephant conservation programmes in India. Karnataka Forest Department in South India is recruiting mahouts because of the rising trend in Human-elephant conflict in various parts of Karnataka State.  In continuation to “Getting along with Elephant” teachers training workshops, a series of mahout’s interaction, briefing, and education programmes were carried out with the support of AES. Its objective was to understand the indigenous knowledge and skills related to elephant management by tribal mahouts who are now with Karnataka Forest Department and further empowering them to act as conservation educators. Sensitizing mahout project has its objective to teach the students living in the conflict area the ways to behave in the presence of problem elephants. This is to avoid injury or killing of elephants and also being injured.
 
After trying all mitigation measures which did not yield much success and with the existing increase in human population and the need for the natural resources, the only option left is to learn to live with elephants. To achieve this it is essential that we change the attitude of the people. Through mahouts, students can understand the forest ecosystem and problem elephant, which suggests Human-elephant co-existence to the extent possible for the safety of human and elephant. The methodology includes play way learning teaching activities through games, drama, songs, stories, debate, maps, history, politics, personalities, art and mock conferences. How students have increased their tolerance while they are in the vicinity of the problem elephants was climax of this project. Presentation concluded with gratitude expressed to the all supporters.
 
EMA conference: how did it influence me? This conference gave me insight to the conference theme; non elephant range countries people perspective and important research taking place in relation to EEHV.
 
For the first time I had an opportunity to witness so many presentations. For the first time I had the opportunity to talk to many elephant keepers and to learn of their various experiences.
 
This conference also provided an opportunity to showcase my work on the international platform, to those who are supporters of my programmes in India. This conference has given certain experience to share with my fellow educators and mahouts.
 
This conference has helped me to inculcate required skills in my events.This conference gave the recognition to the works am doing in my home state with selfless efforts.
 
Last but not the least….. I could understand how much tireless efforts are being put in by the Asian Elephant Support Directors team to support us.

Conclusions: Such conferences and visits gives more ideas to conduct better events in our home state programmes, enriches our knowledge , helps in expanding our network horizons , more than everything makes us more responsible and urges me to render more for the conservation of Asian Elephants.
My sincere heartfelt thanks to the Asian Elephant Support directors for all their encouragement, warmth, and continued support.

Asia EEHV Meeting - Guwahati, Assam, India

International Seminar on Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpes Virus (EEHV)

4th Asia Working Group Meeting

Guwahati, Assam, India

Nov 28-30, 2019

EEHV is a serious and deadly threat facing the global elephant population both in captivity and in the wild specifically to the young. This has prompted the formation of working groups to focus on understanding this disease and working towards treatments and vaccines needed to help save the elephant population. In 2015 the 1st Asian Working Group was formed. This last November, the 4th Asian Working Group held an international seminar on EEHV in Guwahati, Assam, in northeastern India, home to 2/3 of India’s elephants.

AES has been a supporter of fighting EEHV and was proud to be one of the sponsors for this workshop organized by Dr.s Kushal Konwar Sarma of the Faculty of Veterinary Science , AAU Khanapara and Sonja Luz of Wildlife Reserves Singapore. There were representatives from all (but 2 : Sumatra and Cambodia) of the Asian elephant range countries and included presenters from Japan, China and Pakistan. AES also provided funding for three AES grant recipient veterinarians to present about EEHV in their respective countries: Dr. Amir Sadula (Nepal), Dr. Zaw Min Oo (Myanmar) and Dr. Vijitha Perera (Sri Lanka). Unfortunately AES President Linda Reifschneider was unable to attend the conference so AES Secretary Janet Dray represented AES. There was much for Janet to learn there about the projects and people that AES supports as well as the conditions, attitudes and culture differences among the many areas where Asian elephants reside.

The workshop organizers packed each of the three days full of activities that included allowing each region/country to present their status of EEHV and for international scientists to show their latest findings and recommendations on detecting and treating the disease. In addition, the Thailand Task Force presented their findings as well as the forms they use to collect data. One recommendation from the Assam workshop was for India to form its own Task Force.

Other activities included a panel discussion including the Forest Dept. and WWF on Human Elephant Conflict. This is a serious problem in Assam and emphasizes one of the different factors in considering elephant welfare that is not an issue for the Western world. The workshop also included several of Assam’s traditions through formal presentations, receiving a Gamosa (a typical woven cotton with embroidery), music and dance presentations.

The last day of the workshop was a field trip to Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary where in addition to a jeep ride through the reserve to see wild Asian one-horned rhinos, Dr.s Kushal and Parikhit taught the graduate veterinarians about treating elephants at the mahout camp there, including foot car, feces analysis, injections, and reviewing the elephants medical records.

Not only did this workshop fulfill its mission of gathering veterinarians and researchers around Asia (as well as the UK and the USA) to share information on EEHV, it included an incredible place to visit, an amazing opportunity to connect with AES grant recipients from India, Sri Lanka, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Nepal, and an invaluable experience regarding Asian elephants living in their native ranges.

AES is fighting EEHV at the International Seminar on Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpes Virus (EEHV)

EEHV is a serious and deadly threat facing the global elephant population both in captivity and in the wild specifically to the young. This has prompted the formation of working groups to focus on understanding this disease and working towards treatments and vaccines needed to help save the elephant population. In 2015 the 1st Asian Working Group was formed. This last November, the 4th Asian Working Group held an international seminar on EEHV in Guwahati, Assam, in northeastern India, home to 2/3 of India’s elephants.

AES has been a supporter of fighting EEHV and was proud to be one of the sponsors for this workshop organized by Dr.s Kushal Konwar Sarma of the Faculty of Veterinary Science , AAU Khanapara and Sonja Luz of Wildlife Reserves Singapore. There were representatives from all (but 2 : Sumatra and Cambodia) of the Asian elephant range countries and included presenters from Japan, China and Pakistan. AES also provided funding for three AES grant recipient veterinarians to present about EEHV in their respective countries: Dr. Amir Sadula (Nepal), Dr. Zaw Min Oo (Myanmar) and Dr. Vijitha Perera (Sri Lanka).

Unfortunately AES President Linda Reifschneider was unable to attend the conference so AES Secretary Janet Dray represented AES. There was much for Janet to learn there about the projects and people that AES supports as well as the conditions, attitudes and culture differences among the many areas where Asian elephants reside.

The workshop organizers packed each of the three days full of activities that included allowing each region/country to present their status of EEHV and for international scientists to show their latest findings and recommendations on detecting and treating the disease. In addition, the Thailand Task Force presented their findings as well as the forms they use to collect data. One recommendation from the Assam workshop was for India to form its own Task Force.

Other activities included a panel discussion with the Forest Dept. and WWF on Human Elephant Conflict. This is a serious problem in Assam and emphasizes one of the different factors in considering elephant welfare that is not an issue for the Western world. The workshop also included several of Assam’s traditions through formal presentations, receiving a Gamosa (a typical woven cotton with embroidery), music and dance presentations.

The last day of the workshop was a field trip to Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary where in addition to a jeep ride through the reserve to see wild Asian one-horned rhinos, Dr.s Kushal and Parikhit taught the graduate veterinarians (some of whom had no elephant field experience) about treating elephants at the mahout camp there, including foot care, feces analysis, injections, and reviewing the elephants medical records.

Not only did this workshop fulfill its mission of gathering veterinarians and researchers around Asia (as well as the UK and the USA) to share information on EEHV, it included an incredible place to visit, an amazing opportunity to connect with AES grant recipients from India, Sri Lanka, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Nepal, and an invaluable experience regarding Asian elephants living in their native ranges.

Catching up with Fulbright Scholar & Elephant Feces Analyst Chase LaDue

Extracts from his blog https://www.cladue.org/blog. Chase received some funding from AES to assist in his Fulbright Study in Sri Lanka. Chase has also attempted to expand his science communication efforts on Twitter, pre-scheduling tidbits from the field to be posted every weekday. Some of the material duplicates what is on his blog, but if you’re interested, you can follow him @ChaseLaDue.

Feb 25, 2019 extract

I’m writing this update from my hotel room in Kochi, India, where I’m attending the South-Central Asia Fulbright Research Conference over the next week... This past trip to elephant land was shorter than last time (in part because I had to make it over here to India), but it still found a way to be filled with highs and lows. The trip also brought with it challenging moments as the elephants continue to engage in crop-raiding just outside of the park boundaries. Our elephant sightings have been inconsistent: we had our lowest number of sightings on a day during this trip, with a single elephant spotted before he ran into an adjacent forest patch, but we also had a few days of sighting 40 or 50 elephants at a time. It can be difficult to stay motivated and engaged without the promise of seeing elephants, but the milestones we’ve reached help to quickly overcome these doubts. The last day of this trip marked our 40th day of fieldwork, with over 200 hours spent searching for and watching elephants. We passed our 200th elephant sighting, with now more than 50 male elephants catalogued in our database.

I’m proud of our progress on the project, but I’m always hoping to accomplish more. When I get back from India, we’ll have another trip or two to Wasgamuwa before switching field sites. It’s still the rainy season in elephant land, so most of the elephants haven’t moved on to our next parks (these areas are still heavily flooded, and there’s no reason for elephants to move away from plentiful food sources at Wasgamuwa).

Mar 6,2019 extract

At the end of this week, I will have been abroad for four months—only five months to go! This past week marked the first time I’ve left the island since arriving back in November, as the United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF, the Indian equivalent to the US-Sri Lanka Fulbright Commission [US-SLFC]) hosted the South and Central Asia Fulbright Conference in Kochi, India…

The conference was a time for about 175 student and senior scholars to share the work that we’ve been conducting in the South and Central Asia region, including Bhutan, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan…

…The conference was full of eye-opening, thought-provoking presentations from around the region. I learned about agriculture, public health, economic development, religion, and even entanglement theory…

At the podium sharing my work Photo: Sandarshi Gunawardena

… I was a part of [a session], a panel of Fulbrighters discussing the work in the realm of environmental science. I was one of only a couple ecologists at the conference, and so I thought that a talk about elephants in Sri Lanka may not draw attention. But of course, most people cannot resist photos of elephants, and so my talk was fairly well-attended. My presentation was sandwiched between talks about other environmental issues in the region, including in Kazakhstan, India, and Sri Lanka. None of the other panelists were studying wildlife persay, but the issues facing the environment are all intertwined…

Mar 19, 2019 extract

…With the transition from the wet to the dry season, the rains have also mostly subsided, although that hasn’t seemed to have an effect on the humidity levels.

The dryer heat alters the daily movement patterns of the elephants too. We’ve noticed that elephants are almost impossible to spot before 2:00pm now, even in the morning when it’s relatively cool. We think they’re spending the heat of the day under tree cover in the forest where we can’t see them. The vegetation is so thick that most times after moving just a few meters into the forest, we completely lose an elephant. (On a related note, we’ve also noticed that elephants seem much more wary of the vehicle and more apt to move into the forest when approach, a possible result of the recent crop-raiding that has occurred.) So as we’re driving through the park, I’m sure that there are tons of elephants (…literally) that we’re missing just a little bit off the road. We sometimes hear their trumpets and rumbles, but if we can’t see them, there’s not much we can do. Decreased elephant visibility at Wasgamuwa and lowering floodplains in other parts of the island are signs that it’s about time to move to another fieldsite and meet some new elephants. Hopefully we see some old “friends” too.

… Despite the wane in elephant activity around Wasgamuwa over the past month, there remains one fact in life: everyone poops. And in fact, even when it’s hot outside, elephants will poop, and that fact is evident as we drive around the park. In the areas that they frequent, elephant poop is ubiquitous, and it’s important for proper functioning of the ecosystem. Wild adult elephants are estimated to produce over 100 pounds of poop each day, and because they are rather poor at digesting their food, all of this dung returns vital nutrients back to their environment. Whole populations of insects and other invertebrates depend on elephant dung, including some species of the infamous dung beetles in Africa, who lay their eggs in the stuff.

… And this penchant for poop isn’t due just to it’s environmental importance, nor is it a result of all of the practical uses people have found for it (for those who are curious, you can use elephant dung to make paper products and generate energy, among other things). But it’s what scientists can do with elephant poop (and poop from other species, for that matter) that really sealed the deal for me. We can learn about an animal’s life from its poop, including its diet, genetic composition, microbiome, and other things. For our project, we’re interested in measuring hormones, the body’s chemical messengers that are important regulators of behavior, helping an animal cope with its environment. And yes, we can measure hormone metabolites in elephant poop (side note: we’re measuring the metabolites, not the hormones themselves, because like many other molecules in our body, hormones get broken down so that they don’t have longlasting effects)…

Look how happy our poop team is! Last week, we collected an unprecedented four samples in one day. From L to R: Sachintha, Dhanushka, Nimal (who may not be excited, but is instead questioning his life decisions that led him to hold a piece of elephant dung in his hand), and me.

Visit to Dr. Kushal and Elephant/Tiger Workshop in Kerala

February 1st-4th, 2016, Asian Elephant Support’s president, Linda Reifschneider, attended the Regional Asian Elephant and Tiger Veterinary Workshop at Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University in Pookode, Wayanad, Kerala, India.  This event was hosted by the Centre for Wildlife Studies, Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, in collaboration with Parambikulam Tiger Conservation Foundation, Forest and Wildlife Department, Government of Kerala, and Asian Elephant Support.  The workshop is supported by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services Asian Elephant Conservation Fund.

All workshop participants

Veterinary expertise is crucial to conservation efforts, and this workshop provided the opportunity to share experiences regionally, provide practical training, build local and regional capacity in elephant and tiger veterinary care, and enhance veterinary expertise needed for effective conservation.

The workshop looked at wildlife health from the ecosystem perspective and afforded the opportunity to discuss topics such as disease spillover from humans and/or livestock to wildlife, emerging diseases and/or disease prevalence, as well as reducing stressors in the environment.

In addition to meeting and hearing from some experienced elephant veterinarians previously unknown to AES, it was also very interesting to listen to those veterinarians working with tigers in range countries. It makes one stop to think that this majestic creature is now facing yet another challenge as habitat loss brings domestic canines into proximity, offering up the very real threats of distemper and rabies.

Dr. Arun Zachariah, one of the veterinarians in India AES has funded, co-chaired this event with AES consultant Heidi Riddle.  In addition, Dr. Zachariah presented on emerging diseases in Asian elephants and a second presentation on post-mortem techniques in Asian elephants and tigers.  You may find the official report here:  https://gallery.mailchimp.com/6008a9e8fff086bcf7caed1f8/files/AES_Elephant_Tiger_Workshop_Kerala_2016.docx

Dr. Christopher Stremme presented on the work he is doing in Sumatra (work AES continues to help fund) and also participated with Dr. Dennis Schmitt in a demonstration of ultra-sonography in Asian elephants.  Dr. Khajohnpat Boonprasert (“Dr. Yeaw”) who has helped us help wildlife department veterinarians in Vietnam, recounted the work being done at The Elephant Conservation Center in Lampang, Thailand.  And Dr. Zaw Min Oo, who AES has worked with in Myanmar, also presented.

Dr. Meenakshi Nagendran, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services, discussed the global population status and conservation of programs for both Asian elephants and tigers and Sri. Ajay Desai, IUCN Asian Elephant Specialist Group, discussed human/wildlife conflict relative to Asian elephants and tigers and a second presentation on the ecology and evolution of Asian elephants.

The papers session ended with an evening showcasing amazing demonstrations of sand art, followed by a traditional fire dance.

The workshop ended with a planned field visit to the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, which has wild tigers, elephants, and other wildlife.  Dr. N. Kalaivanan led the field visit to the Mudumalai elephant camp, sharing camp management protocols with workshop participants from outside the area, as well as introducing us to camp staff and some of the camp elephants.  Dr. Kalaivanan also gave a presentation during the workshop on the chemical immobilization and translocation of Asian elephants.

Learning…..sharing…..networking…..  It is efforts such as this that grow long past ‘the event’.  Having not only another email address, but knowing the face and the expertise of that new contact to share ideas with and ask questions of – this is what helps move the care and conservation of Asian elephants – and tigers! – forward.  Your support well invested and for which we thank you most sincerely!

Elephants on the Line - Bhutan and India

Mamatha

Part of the AES mission statement is “to increase awareness and offer support for human-elephant coexistence to help protect the needs and future of the Asian elephants”.  Over the past couple of years, AES has supported Mamatha Sathyanarayana,  a high school Biology teacher from Mysore, India.   Along with her teaching responsibilities, she is also involved with wildlife conservation. She facilitates workshops about wildlife co-existence (elephants, in particular)  for the local village children.  In October 2014 we had the opportunity to support Mamatha to attend and facilitate educational workshops in Bhutan. The North East India and Bhutan border is home to a sizable population of Asian elephants.  Elephants on the Line (EoL) is an organization that is collaborating between Bhutan, India and US partners to address the major human-elephant conflict issues in this area.   In 2014 the focus of EoL is the Udalguri District of Assam, India, which has one of the highest HEC rates in all of Asia. The following is Mamatha’s account of the workshops:

Elephants on the Line Education Workshops

Bhutan and Assam, India, October 2014

Role playing exercise

Elephants on the Line (EoL) is a trans-boundary, community based project that has been initiated to help local communities in Northern Assam and Southern Bhutan deal with human elephant conflict by providing awareness activities and encouraging villagers to voluntarily participate in conservation activities. From October 3-5, a two-day education workshop was held at the Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan. The workshop was organized by the EoL project and was attended by about 20 staff from the Bhutan Forest Department, as well as some volunteers from the Assam EoL project.

During the workshop there were presentations about the status of elephants in Bhutan and in Assam, elephant behavior, causes of Human-Elephant conflict (HEC), and addressing conflict through coexistence.  I led the workshop components that specifically addressed coexistence and used various activities to share information and engage participants.  The activities included having participants develop short dramas, participate in a role play situation, and learning how to use energizers to refocus participants’ attention and teach. While at the Park all participants also enjoyed an evening session about elephant husbandry and care with the camp elephants that are used to patrol the park.

Workshop participants

From Oct 6-8, a second workshop was held in Orang National Park, Assam (India).  The area affected is Udalguri District; there have been many human casualties from HEC as well as some elephant casualties in this region. In this workshop all of the participants were local villagers who are directly affected by HEC.  The workshop started with presentations about the causes of HEC, as well as the use of maps and GPS units to identify elephant habitat.  We also presented a few activities related to coexistence and the participants were very engaged. 

AES would like to thank Mamatha for her hard work for Asian elephants in India.  We are proud to support local people that are so dedicated to saving this amazing species and finding ways for elephants and humans to co-exist. 

Elephant Health Clinics in India

September 2013

With your support, Dr. Kushal Sarma continues to do amazing work for Asian elephants and the people who care for them in Assam, India.  Recently he conducted an elephant health care clinic in the Orang National Park and was able to treat 32 government forest camp elephants.  Orang National Park is located on the north bank of the Brahmaputra River and is home to many species including Indian rhinos, Bengal tigers, and Asian elephants.  The park is 78 square kilometers, but is encircled on three sides by people who are quickly encroaching on the land.  The human-elephant conflict is a growing problem in this area, so the elephants are utilized in anti-poaching patrols and to encourage the wild elephant population to stay within the safety of the park boundaries.

Dr. Sarma explaining medical points to the students.

This was a routine health care clinic and all the elephants were vaccinated against tetanus and hemorrhagic septicemia (an acute bacterial infection).  In addition, some routine stool examinations were conducted and the elephants were given de-worming medication.  All of the females and any bulls that appeared weak were given multi-vitamin and multi-mineral mixtures plus vitamin injections.

Mahouts with their new uniforms

In addition to helping elephants, AES believes it is important to help the people who care for the elephants.  Most of the people at this clinic are poor and have very few resources to care for the elephants.  Dr. Sarma was able to distribute 40 uniform shirts and an additional 5 khukries (traditional knives).  The knives are used to trim the elephants’ feet and to cut fodder for the elephants, making them a valuable tool in improving the health of the elephants. The uniforms give the mahouts a sense of pride and ownership in the role they play conserving elephants in Assam.
 
A special surprise occurred during the clinic when a beautiful wild bull visited the camp out of curiosity!  Upon inquiring, we were happily advised that he has many girlfriends in the elephant camps in this area and most of the calves born to captive mothers are sired by him.  However, we don’t believe he stayed around for foot care or vaccinations!

The visiting wild bull

Dr. Sarma also advised he organized an Elephant Day at his college on October 2nd and has this report:

“As a part of the countrywide celebration of “Wild Life Week” in the first week of October, the 2nd October, 2013 was celebrated as “Elephant Day”  with the initiative of the Department of Surgery & Radiology, College of Veterinary Science, Khanapara with various day long programmes. The celebration started with life demonstration of elephant healthcare procedures to the fourth and fifth year BVSc & A.H. as well as some post graduate students by the experts of the department which was followed by an exhibition of rare books on elephants. In the next half of the programme, power point presentations were made on various topics involving the elephants  by Dr(Ms) Munmun Sarma, Associate Professor, Department of Anatomy & Histology, Dr. G. Mahato, Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine, Dr. Bijoy Dutta, Associate Professor, Surgery & Radiology and Dr. Kushal Konwar Sarma, Professor & Head of the Department of Surgery & Radiology who is an internationally renowned  expert on elephants. Dr. R. N. Goswami, Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Science and Dr. A. Chakroborty, Director of Research (Vety) also addressed the students on the occasion.”

Our supporters of the “Hoof knives for Mahouts-India” program will be pleased to know that the knives are being distributed carefully and are greatly appreciated.  Please watch for future updates from
Dr. Sarma and feel free to cheer for the beautiful wild bull!

April 2013

Dr. Sarma advised he has conducted seven elephant health clinic sessions January through April for mahouts on elephant foot care. The clinic included sessions on using the khukri. which is the traditional knife that a mahout uses to care for his elephant's feet and to cut fodder for the elephant. So far, Dr. Sarama has distributed 52 of these knives and trained more than 52 mahouts, some already owning proper knives.

In addition, Dr. Sarma advised he has conducted a follow-up program for the temple elephants of Ahmedabad (initial vet workshop held in 2011) using AES financial support, and he has also attended to a circus elephant with a fracture in Anand, Gujarat.

December 2012, Goalpara

Dr. Sarma treated a young bull in Goalpara who was badly injured in a fight with other bulls. This was just one of many notifications we received during the year advising us of medical treatment of wild elephants.

March 2012, Kaziranga

At the Regional Asian Elephant Veterinary Workshop in March, Dr. Sarma advised that he had made an observational visit to Ahmedabad. While the health of the elephants appeared a bit better, another health clinic was warranted and was planned as soon as possible.  Dr. Sarma also discussed a second group of elephants he thought could use some assistance. This is a group of elephants he encountered while working on a rhino relocation project in Kaziranga. Dr. Sarma has already organized a veterinary visit at Kaziranga and will be returning to operate on an elephant with an abscess on its back.

Dr. Sarma (wearing a cap) and some of the workshop participants

AES will be kept updated on the work done at these clinics, as well as further opportunities for us to help these and other elephant populations. Many elephants reside in areas where their numbers are small and capable veterinarian assistance is not available. In addition, many of the mahouts caring for elephants in these locations lead a very difficult life. We are looking into ways we can also help the people that care for the elephants.

In addition to being a working veterinarian, Dr. Sarma is also a university professor. We feel privileged to have found a man of this talent and dedication to the welfare of Asian elephants. We appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with Dr. Sarma and we are grateful he is willing to put these extra clinics into his already very busy schedule.

Veterinary Workshop in Ahmedabad, India (2011)

In early 2011, we received an inquiry from a veterinarian from the state of Gujarat in Western India, who was faced with treating an extremely ill elephant. Gujarat is a semi-arid state and is not ideal habitat for elephants; however, there are approximately 30 temple elephants living in this area. Unfortunately, due to a lack of exposure and experience, the veterinarians in Gujarat do not have a lot of practical or theoretical knowledge of elephant healthcare and management.

Sadly, it was too late to save this gravely ill elephant, but during the process, we made inquiries among our advisers that resulted in our introduction to Dr. Kushal Konwar Sarma. Dr. Sarma is a professor at Assam Agricultural University in the College of Veterinary Science. His position within the Department of Surgery & Radiology provides opportunities to teach, to participate in research and field work, and to publish his work. Every year, he works with hundreds of captive elephants along with a significant number of wild elephants. Even with his busy schedule, he found time to help us when we contacted him.

Some of the workshop participants

From our conversations with Dr. Sarma, it was decided that a workshop on the basic skills applicable to elephant healthcare would be helpful for both the elephants and the veterinarians who are involved in providing healthcare to the elephants. On December 25, Dr. Sarma led a one-day workshop on elephant healthcare and managerial practices in the city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat, India. The workshop was held at the Jagannath Temple and was attended by 21 participants from 9 different cities. The lectures in the morning covered important topics such as the biology of elephants, techniques of drug administration, anesthesia protocols, commonly occurring diseases and their management, foot care, and musth management. After lunch, there were hands-on demonstrations of healthcare techniques including routine examinations, sites for injections, estimations of height and weight, and routine foot care. The day concluded with an open discussion where many questions were answered. The participants were very thankful for the opportunity and we are grateful that we could contribute to making the lives of these elephants a little better and the work of the veterinarians a little easier.

We thank Dr. Sarma for taking time out of his busy schedule to share his knowledge and we look forward to working with him in the future. We would also like to thank the veterinary medical firm, Intas Pharmaceuticals Ltd., for their help in making this workshop a reality.

Traditional Knives for Mahouts in India

The Elephant Managers Association (EMA) is an international non-profit organization of professional elephant handlers, administrators, veterinarians, researchers, and elephant enthusiasts.  The EMA is dedicated to the welfare of the world's elephants through conservation, husbandry, research, education and communication. As elephant managers, the members believe the elephants in our country are ambassadors for their wild counterparts. As elephant caretakers, they also believe the members are ambassadors for the people who care for elephants in range countries. At the time of this project, all of the AES directors were active members of the EMA and we encourage everyone who cares about elephants to become a member. Please visit www.elephantmanagers.com to learn  more about the Elephant Managers Association.

Bull carrying fodder

In Asia there are a significant number of captive elephants in communities with little resources to provide all the supplies for the mahouts to properly care for their elephants.

The EMA's Conservation Committee Sponsorship Program was designed to support their counterparts, the mahouts, in elephant range countries.  In 2009, the EMA initiated the "Hoof Knives for Mahouts" program which raised enough funds to provide approximately 200 hoof knives to mahouts in Sumatra-Indonesia.

Trimming feet with a traditional knife

Asian Elephant Support (AES) has been working with a veterinarian in northeastern India to help improve the care of the elephants in this area.  A local traditional knife (khukri) is an integral part of the mahouts' daily lives in this region as they use them to cut fodder for elephants and trim the elephants' nails or pads.  However, many mahouts cannot afford proper tools and use crude handmade knives to do foot work on their elephants. Regardless of what job you are doing, everyone can appreciate having the right tools to get it done.

With your help, AES and EMA collaborated in raising enough money to purchase 100 khukri for mahouts in Assam (northeastern India).

AES and the EMA would like to sincerely thank everyone for their generous donations to the "Hoof Knives for Mahouts - India" project. This program raised $1755.52 to purchase these local knives for mahouts to enable them to improve the care of their elephants. A special thank you to the elephant staff and AAZK members at the Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester, NY, who raised $720.52 for this project!

Footwork discussion at Veterinary Workshop in India

This program is a great way to demonstrate that every donation, big or small, can make a difference for elephants and the people that care for them, in Asian range countries.

We are very pleased to report that the traditional knives are being distributed during veterinary visits to privately held elephants in Assam.

Financial Support for Mamatha Sathyanarayana to Attend Conference

In July 2012, Asian Elephant Support was introduced to Mamatha Sathyanarayana, a young biology teacher from Mysore, India. Along with her teaching responsibilities, she is also very involved in wildlife conservation. She facilitates many educational workshops about wildlife and the forest for the local village children.

In 2011, Mamatha received a small grant from the International Elephant Foundation (IEF) to develop a Human-Elephant Coexistence workshop for children in her home state of Karnataka. She submitted an abstract on this workshop to the International Zoo Educators organization, hoping to present her work at the 2012 conference hosted by the Chester Zoo in the United Kingdom. Her abstract was accepted and we were delighted to assist with partial funding to help defray her travel expenses.She was truly grateful to be able to attend this conference and sent us a few pictures and a summary of what this opportunity meant to her. She advised there was record attendance which gave her the opportunity to meet many eminent educators from all over the world. The conference schedule was packed with case studies, papers, workshops, and poster presentations, providing her with a lot of new ideas to take home. Even with the busy schedule, there was time to enjoy the Chester Zoo and an opportunity to see the old historic city of Chester.

Sharing knowledge is invaluable and we feel it is important to share the good conservation work that is being done in Asia with the Western world. Dedicated educators like Mamatha Sathyanarayana, whose passion for wildlife involves teaching both in and out of the classroom, represent a very important element in elephant conservation. With Mamatha’s help, her students will grow into adults with a better understanding of our wonderful planet and its amazing and precious creatures and wild places. Thank you, Mamatha, and our very best wishes to you!

Field Course in Emerging Diseases of Asian Elephants, Kerala, India (November, 2012)

Asian Elephant Support (AES) continues to facilitate the training of veterinarians in Asia who work with elephants, with funding support from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Asian Elephant Conservation Fund. As a follow-up to the Regional Asian Elephant Veterinary Workshop held in Banda Aceh, Sumatra-Indonesia in March 2012, a group of several veterinarians met in southern India in early November for a week long "Field Course in Emerging Diseases of Asian Elephants". This field course was held in the state of Kerala, and hosted by the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University in Pookode. Veterinarians from Indonesia, Myanmar, Laos, and from around India participated in the course which addressed veterinary topics such as diagnosis and treatment of diseases in wild and captive elephant populations, and proper sample collection. The lead instructor was Dr. Arun Zachariah, a veterinarian with the Kerala Department of Forests and Wildlife, whose project "Emerging Diseases in the Single Largest Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus indicus) Population, Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, South India" was also supported in part by AES.

During the course, veterinarians presented information about emerging diseases of elephants in their regions, shared experiences, and learned laboratory techniques to assess samples for certain specific diseases such as the Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpes Virus (EEHV), a highly fatal disease which has been confirmed in populations of captive and wild elephants around Asia.

Taking advantage of the time in this region, the veterinarians were also treated to some local field trips: to the Bandipur elephant camp where the efficient southern India Forest Department elephant camp management system was observed and discussed, and to the Wyanad Wildlife Sanctuary where the group was lucky to view wild elephants.

The experience exchange continues, as the veterinarians discussed the need for comprehensive reporting throughout the region, and agreed to develop guidelines to help field veterinarians collect appropriate samples for laboratory examinations. Such guidelines would help determine if certain elephant diseases are indeed emerging in populations around Asia.

We thank you for the financial support that allows us to help make these educational opportunities happen. 

Emerging Diseases and Conservation in India (2010 - 2012)

We are pleased to tell you about our involvement in a very important research project and to tell you a story of teamwork that AES believes is so crucial to the future of Asian elephants.

The goals of this research project are to identify emerging diseases and their prevalence in the largest global population of Asian elephants, and to determine the impact of these diseases for long-term conservation. These goals will be met through (a) assessing health-related aspects of the free-ranging elephant population (for example, stress, morbidity, and mortality), (b) evaluating the presence of infectious and non-infectious diseases and their dynamics in the elephant population, and (c) identifying risk factors and possible solutions to mitigate impact.

Charging bull in study area (95% of males are tuskers in this area)

The study area is located in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (NBR) in Southern India, and occupies parts of three states: Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala. The study area has an estimated 3900 to 4800 elephants. This population is genetically quite distinct and unique in that 95% of males are tuskers, compared to only 5-7% of males in the Sri Lanka population and 50% of males in the Eastern Indian population.

Elephant herd in degraded and fragmented habitat in summer

Many studies in the Nilgiri Biosphere show the elephant population in this region under ever increasing pressure, with degraded and fragmented habitat posing the biggest threat. Summer forest fires coupled with delayed monsoon seasons can result in greater migration and thus increased instances of human/elephant conflict.

Adult elephants are not vulnerable to top predators like tigers and leopards. Thus it is important to study the disease dynamics in this species. Anthrax, Elephant Herpes Virus, and tuberculosis are among the diseases identified, clearly indicating the necessity for an understanding of the emerging diseases in the population.

The research is being led by two veterinarians highly experienced in elephant diseases:

• Dr. Arun Zachariah, Assistant Forest Veterinary Officer of the Wildlife Disease Research Laboratory, Department of Forest and Wildlife, Kerala, India.

• Dr. N. Kalaivanan, Assistant Forest Veterinary Surgeon, Department of Forest and Wildlife, Tamil Nadu, India

These two investigators bring a wealth of experience to this project. In addition, international advisors will partner to advise on ecology and genetics of wildlife diseases.

Asian Elephant Support is excited to play a part in helping this research get underway. In addition to AES financial contribution, this was our first grant submission to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Asian Elephant Conservation Fund. AES helped write the grant application and will serve as the grant administrators for this project. The USFWS and AES have provided funding for project support staff, transportation, research station costs, lab analysis fees, and medical supplies. The initially funded study period will run for one year.

We would be remiss if we did not express our sincere appreciation to Heidi Riddle, Riddle's Elephant & Wildlife Sanctuary, for bringing this project to our attention, and to the staff at USFWS for their patience and assistance in securing this funding for Drs. Zachariah and Kalaivanan. Working together we can make a difference for the future of the Asian elephant.

It will be exciting to follow the findings of this important field work, and we will share updates as they are available. Please contact us to put your name on our email list for news, and please consider making a donation now so that we can remain in a position to help other projects that need support in their work for the future of Asian elephants.

Thank you for your Support!

Photos provided by Dr. Arun Zachariah.

Fast forward to November 2012…

Two years of intense field and laboratory work have brought to the forefront new observations about diseases in wild Asian elephant populations. Several diseases were identified during the course of this study.

One of the diseases identified is the Endotheliotropic Elephant Herpes Virus (EEHV). This study provides the first report of EEHV in free ranging Asian elephants. Although only a few cases were confirmed, the findings of EEHV in free ranging elephants, and the scientific data generated, can help to identify the cause of EEHV emergence in captive populations. This research may also shed light on the evolution of the virus, which has a high mortality rate in elephants.

Like all good research, we have a better understanding of certain issues, but have been left with a long list of questions. In this case, there are serious questions that can and need to be addressed. Even these initial findings will impact our efforts to conserve Asian elephants.

More research is needed on how the free ranging elephant population has been affected by emerging diseases such as EEHV. As this free ranging population shares habitat with captive elephants, livestock, and human settlements, there is an important need for long-term wildlife health monitoring of the elephant populations. There is also a need to determine the extent that environmental factors, such as sharing space with livestock, contribute to the emergence of disease of Asian elephants.

Knowledge and good science represent the real hope for the future of this magnificent species. Obviously, there is much more work to be done. To this end, AES is continuing to partner with scientists, veterinarians, and other organizations concerned about Asian elephant health. AES will focus support on continuing the study of EEHV in Asian elephant populations around the world.

Each life is precious, not only to the population, but to the future of the species. Please consider making a donation to AES today to help support additional research and efforts that are needed to protect the next generation of Asian elephants.

With your help, we are improving the lives of elephants and mahouts across Asia.