This past year in 2014 one of our advisors, Heidi Riddle, co-authored a paper about the importance of identifying health issues in Asian elephants as seen by their veterinarians. It is important to understand how difficult it is to find data on captive Asian elephant management throughout their range countries. That being said the authors of this paper delved into what could potentially help both mahouts and their elephants receive the best care. When both mahout and elephant are able to access medical care, that is a mahout is healthy and can provide for his charge, both individuals will thrive. Finding solutions to this little known problem will certainly allow for a future with elephants to flourish. Follow the link below to read the paper: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4320845/
Field Update - Bear Rescue
On February 13, the Veterinary Society for Sumatran Wildlife Conservation (VESSWIC) veterinarians visited the Elephant Conservation Center (ECC) in Minas to assist with the emergency treatment of a juvenile male elephant suffering from chronic weight loss and weakness. Unfortunately, upon their arrival, the vets found the elephant had already collapsed and had been lying down for two days. After intensive emergency care, the elephant was able to regain its ability to stand up and walk around for a short time, but he sadly passed away the following day. A post mortem was conducted and besides progressed emaciation, vast and chronic lesions were found in the lung tissues. Additional results from a laboratory are still awaited to determine the exact cause of death.
February 26 - March 1, VESSWIC veterinarians assisted the Nature Conservation Agency in Aceh Province with a sun-bear rescue. Dr. Anhar Lubis, Aceh Province veterinarian Dr. Rosa, and Dr. Arman, a lecturer from the veterinary faculty in Aceh, joined in this operation. The male juvenile sun-bear had a serious injury around his left front leg caused by a wire snare in which he had been trapped. Villagers had released the bear from the snare a few days before the veterinarian team arrived in this remote location and kept him in a small cage.
The infected wound was too serious to allow immediate release back into the wild, so the bear was taken to Nature Conservation Agency headquarters in Banda Aceh for quarantine and further treatment. Thanks to VESSWIC providing all of the necessary supplies, drugs, and logistics, Dr. Rosa was able to extend the necessary treatment and care for the sun-bear for several weeks. Currently two more juvenile sun-bears, recently confiscated from illegal trade, are in quarantine, and received intensive health checks and several medical treatments. The three bears will be released back into the wild when all wounds are healed and the animals are in stable condition.
During the treatment of the bears in quarantine, Dr. Arman and Dr. Arthur invited students from the veterinary faculty to participate in the treatment and handling of the bears. This allowed the veterinary students to get first-hand experience and training in providing the medical needs and the handling of wildlife.
Update from Sumatra: veterinary work, calves born to Olive and Yuni
Our latest update from Sumatra is a testimony to the scope of happenings one encounters when working for and with Asian elephants.
Collaboration and learning are keywords in our campaign to help both captive and wild Asian elephants. In the past couple of months, Christopher’s group hosted Dr. Satya P. G. Bhalla, who is a veterinarian from Corbett Tiger Reserve. Dr. Bhalla came to volunteer and guest lecture to the veterinary faculty in Banda Aceh about conservation medicine and veterinary needs in his national park. Dr. Sonja Luz, a wildlife veterinarian from Singapore, who works on many conservation projects in south Asia and Africa, was also a guest lecturer addressing conservation medicine, reptile husbandry and medical care.
Facilitating the exchange of information and knowledge is an important part of improving our care of not only Asian elephants but all wildlife, and we certainly appreciate their extra effort in this direction.
Unfortunately, not all AES news is as positive and encouraging. Several weeks ago, a morning began with the call that’s never wanted: Edi, one of the elephants at ECC Holiday Resort, was found dead. Christopher rushed to perform a necropsy, but the cause of death was not clearly revealed, so now we wait for the results from the lab. Prompt necropsies help us learn and expand our knowledge for ever-improving care. None the less, it is never easy to lose an elephant, especially when it is sudden and unexpected. We share in their loss.
In the beginning of December an emergency call came in from Aceh, as one of the male elephants in musth had attacked and seriously injured its mahout. The elephant was out of control, attacking people and cars on the main road. A standing sedation had to be administered from a distance using a blow pipe. The elephant’s long tusks were trimmed for safety and he was secured with a 20’ chain to a tree with easy access to food and water. Until he is no longer in musth, the elephant will still be restrained in the forest and looked after by the mahouts. His mahouts will move his location daily by luring him with bananas so that the chain can be removed and he is then relocated to an area with fresh fodder.
Tusk trim on sedated bull
Were it not for the vets and their ability to help bring this musth bull under control, the outcome would surely be grim! We so appreciate these people who make it possible for such animals to be taken care of for their own safety as well as the people in the area.
Now some very happy news! In November, Olive gave birth to her first calf, a very tiny (for an elephant!) but agile and healthy little girl. On December 4th, Yuni at Tangkahan gave birth to a male calf weighing about 70 kg. It is Yuni’s first calf and she is taking very good care of her baby and both mother and calf are in good health. Now the two mothers often stay together, giving the calves the chance to play and socialize. These are the moments that lift our hearts and reaffirm why we care so very much.
And it’s not always just about elephants. During Christopher’s last visit to Aceh, he examined a tiger, which had been captured in central Aceh after killing some cattle and two villagers in the past three months. The tiger was sedated for a general health examination and found to be in good health and, according to his teeth, was estimated to be 6 to 7 years old. At the time of Christopher’s writing, the tiger was still in quarantine, while options for release in a remote forest area are considered and evaluated. This is an example of people working primarily with one species and being in the position to help others. Thanks to Christopher and the Vesswic veterinarians, and here’s to a very good 2011 for our Sumatran friends, both two and four-legged!
