Update from the Mobile Vet Clinic - August 2023

CMU Vet Staff at the National Elephant Conference

The Chiang Mai University mobile veterinary unit had a busy month in August! The vet team was able to attend the 2023 National Elephant Conference in Lampang. Elephant nutrition, the EEHV situation in Thailand, how to care for orphaned baby elephants, and blood donation in elephants were among the topics covered in lectures and informational sessions for elephant health by veterinarians.

 
The Center recently depleted their blood plasma collection due to recent cases of EEHV. Blood plasma is very beneficial to have on hand for elephants who have low blood protein (hypoproteinemia), low blood albumin (hypoalbuminemia), ascites, loss of protein from any other issues, and blood loss (like in the case of EEHV). So, the search was on for an elephant donor! Thankfully, the Baan Chang Elephant Park
gave permission to collect the blood from an elephant donor named ParnWaad. This elephant reached all the criteria for an ideal blood donor. The team was able to collect 12 bags of blood that was then separated into plasma. Unfortunately, that afternoon they received a call for use of these plasma bags on a current patient with liver problems, severe low blood protein, and low albumin.

ParnWaad the elephant, donating blood

The CMU team received a call about a two month-old calf who fell down a hill and refused to take her medicine! They had to improvise to combine topical painkillers, walking restrictions, and laser therapy to minimize the inflammation. The calf was difficult to treat with laser therapy since she couldn’t stay still for very long. The calf’s symptoms were substantially better and almost back to normal after 1 week of
treatments.

 

The two month old calf

Later in the month, they received a call from an owner to see an elephant that presented chin and ventral edema. The vet performed a physical examination and mild ventral chin swelling was found. But, the ventral abdominal swelling was not obviously seen. They collected blood to check and to rule out the problem of hypoproteinemia (low levels of blood protein). The blood result was in normal range. The mahout was instructed to make a hot herbal pressure for the area. She was getting better and then recovered in a week!

Chin Edema

In total, the CMU Mobile Veterinary Unit received about 11 cases in the month of August spanning from musculoskeletal issues to wound care.

YOU can help support the CMU Mobile Veterinary Clinic to continue supporting elephants in need of medical care by donating to Asian Elephant Support at:
www.asianelephantsupport.org/donate or via Venmo @asianelephantsupport.

Update from the Mobile Vet Clinic

The Chiang Mai University (CMU) Mobile Vet Clinic answered a call regarding a young female elephant with a broken tush (in female Asian elephants, their small tusks are referred to as a tush or tushes). The owner explained that the elephant likes to use her tushes to strip off tree bark. Upon examination, the veterinary team noticed a bad smell coming from the tush area with some swelling. They also noticed that the remaining part of her broken tush was pointy which was rubbing the soft tissue of her tusk cavity (or sulcus), which was the reason behind the swelling. The veterinary team flushed the sulcus with hydrogen peroxide, rinsed with saline, and administered pain medication. The veterinarians also filed down the remaining tush so that it was not as sharp anymore. The team came back to visit three days later to make sure the elephant was improving. They were happy to see that the swelling had gone down!

ParnWaad the elephant, donating blood

YOU can help support the CMU Mobile Veterinary Clinic to continue supporting elephants in need of medical care, just like this young female with a broken tusk, by donating to Asian Elephant Support at: www.asianelephantsupport.org/donate or via Venmo @asianelephantsupport.

Update from the Mobile Vet Clinic - July 2023

Beginning in 2020, Asian Elephant Support committed funds to support the ongoing work of the Chiang Mai University Mobile Vet Clinic. This unit travels throughout northern Thailand to provide both preventative and emergency care for elephants in need. The staff from the unit regularly participates in educational opportunities to exchange knowledge with colleagues working to care for Asian elephants. We hope you continue to enjoy the updates we receive from our partners from the Mobile Vet Clinic and their work to uphold our mission to care for and conserve elephants in Thailand and across Asia. 

The Chiang Mai University’s Mobile Vet Clinic, including Dr. Eye and other veterinary staff were on the move as usual during the month of July.

The veterinary staff from various organizations conducting the health checks for the elephants of Chiang Mai

The crew worked with the Chiang Rai Provincial Livestock Office and the Thai Elephant Alliance to perform health checks on 42 elephants in five camps in the Chiang Rai province. Of the 42 elephants, all were reported to have excellent body condition, due to a seasonal abundance of food. The team did take additional time to treat several elephants, including a bull with a damaged tusk and infection. In this region, there are veterinarians from the Department of Livestock Development that will be able to provide follow-up care as prescribed. 

Veterinarians & mahouts work together to treat an elephant with a tusk infection

 This trip was followed by more health checks on a group of 11 elephants living in the Hauy Pak Kood village of the Mae Jam district.

All of the elephants were found to be in excellent health and the veterinary team only needed to provide preventative treatments for deworming and supplemental vitamins. While there, the team was excited to find a very cute surprise - a one-month old elephant calf!

 One-month old elephant at Hauy Pak Kood Village

During the first week in July, the CMU Mobile Clinic team followed up with a few elephants in the Mae Wang area that they treated back in June. The two elephants who were treated, one for an abscess on the trunk and the other for a wound on the belly, were both completely healed. After the follow up exam, the crew went to check on an elephant in the Mae Tang area that was suffering from lameness in her left front leg for one to two months. A thermal camera was used to look for areas of inflammation, which was found around the metacarpal (wrist) joint. The veterinarians performed laser therapy to the area and herbal massage, which is an effective traditional treatment. 

 Laser therapy being performed to help reduce inflammation & lameness for this elephant in Mae Tang

Later in the month, the veterinary team traveled to treat an elephant in Mae Wang displaying symptoms of abdominal pain. For four days, the owner said that the elephant’s feces had been smaller than usual, and the elephant was open mouth breathing and consistently standing up and sitting down. Upon examination, the doctor heard stomach sounds consistent with gastrointestinal issues, and the elephant was dehydrated.

Fluids were given as well as a pain reliever, vitamins and an enema. After an enema and examining the feces, the team suggested the elephant go directly to the hospital due to the hard dry fecal matter that was produced. They were concerned that the elephant couldn’t chew its fodder well and were afraid the hard feces was blocking the intestinal tract, which can be life-threatening and require continuous care and treatment. This is the fourth time she has experienced these issues. The prognosis for this elephant is guarded, but with the expert support of this veterinary team, we know they will do all they can to care for her.

An enema is performed at the elephant hospital to remove impacted feces in an effort to relieve pain & potentially save this elephant's life 

The CMU Mobile Vet Clinic wrapped up July by visiting a four-year old elephant calf in Mae Wang district who was suffering from diarrhea and not eating hay. The team was initially concerned these symptoms were indicative of Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus (EEHV) a deadly disease that impacts one in five young Asian elephants and can take their life within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms. Thankfully upon examination, the calf was not lethargic, nor did she have a fever or any hemorrhagic signs of EEHV. There were internal parasites seen in the feces, and the calf was interested in eating bamboo and drinking water. The veterinary team administered pain relievers and Vitamins B and C to stimulate her immune response. The following day, the calf’s mahout reported the elephant was feeling better!

As the year rolls on, so does the crew of the Chiang Mai University Mobile Vet Clinic, tirelessly providing life saving care to northern Thailand’s elephants. To show your support for this team, please donate so they can continue their invaluable work at www.asianelephantsupport.org/donate or via Venmo @asianelephantsupport. Thank you.

Dr. Aung Myint Htun - Asian Elephant Workshop in Thailand

This past summer we were happy to help Dr. Htun participate in the Asian Elephant Health, Reproduction and Breeding Management Workshop in Thailand.  The workshop was divided into three portions: one week online, one week examinations, and lastly, one week hands-on practicals in Thailand.  Dr. Htun was able to learn about foot care in addition to ultrasound checks for pregnant elephant cows.  

Snare Victim - Bull Calf Jun

A story of collaboration, teamwork, and the paying forward of helping range country vets grow their abilities to help Asian elephants:

In 2014, Asian Elephant Support (AES) funded two veterinarians to educational workshops:  Dr. Vanthinh Pham from Vietnam to a workshop in Sri Lanka, and Dr. Khajohnpat Boonprasert (“Dr. Yeaw”), from Thailand, to the EEHV workshop held in the United States. Dr. Yeaw’s trip was funded both by AES and the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation (GTAEF).

Fast forward to 2015:
On the 19th of February, 2015, a young wild male elephant, since named Jun, was discovered by Yok Don National Park officials.  Dr. Vanthinh Pham and his team from the Dak Lak Elephant Conservation Center in Vietnam rescued him with care.

Jun was quite aggressive and Dr. Pham had difficulty effectively treating his moderately infected would that began getting worse.  Dr. Pram sought assistance from veterinarians experienced in treating such injuries and as well as help in training Jun with positive reinforcement to allow for safe treatment.

Dr. Khajohnpat Boonprasert (“Dr. Yeaw”), of The Elephant Conservation Center (TECC) in Lampang, Thailand, along with two of their highly experienced mahouts, traveled to Dak Lak Elephant Conservation Center in Vietnam April 18th-25th.  Dr. Yeaw performed the initial surgical debridement, then guiding Dr. Pham in an additional debridement surgery.  The TECC mahouts showed their Vietnamese counterparts how to safely and humanely train Jun to accept further medical care.  And again, AES and GTAEF joined forces to fund this effort.

As of this writing Jun appears to be getting better, with both Dr. Yeaw and Dr. Pham happy with the progress. Dr Pham is better at handling him, now working on finding a way to get blood tests done.  And two veterinarians, in two different countries but sharing the same concern for Asian elephants, are now reaching across the border, sharing knowledge and helping.  We are delighted to see this story unfold, both that Jun is receiving help and that our investment in each of these gentlemen is paying itself forward in exactly the manner the Asian elephant needs.  

We are pleased to be able to share this effort with you and, as always, thank YOU for your support, without which we would not be able to make a difference.

ECC Bull Treatment

Last month we shared a video with you about the Elephant Conservation Center in Sayaboury, Laos.  Now we’d like to go a bit further into their role as a provider of elephant healthcare in the area.  Here you will see the resident veterinarian Emma clean and dress an abscess on the back of the bull Phu Kam Soey, with the assistance of her aide, Kan.  It is an elaborate process to make sure the abscess is prepared for proper healing.  The elephant is brought into what is referred to as an elephant restraint device.  There, the mahout keeps his attention with treats, usually cooked rice, while the vet performs the necessary steps.  It is imperative that the elephant be made to feel calm and accepting of these medical procedures, such is the importance of the elephant/mahout bond.  This is an example of what drives the motivation for AES:  local, everyday situations where we can be of assistance to elephants and the people whose lives are intrinsically linked to them.  Watch the video below, or on YouTube.

AES helps to further a veterinarian's education

Mr. Pham Van Thinh, a veterinarian from the Daklak Elephant Conservation Center in Vietnam, attended the "Asian Elephant Health, Reproduction and Breeding Management" course, which took place in Sri Lanka this summer. This training course was conducted by the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine & Animal Science of the University of Peradeniya, in collaboration with the Royal Veterinary College of the University of London, UK, the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Chiang Mai University, Thailand, and the National Elephant Institute in Lampang, Thailand. The partner institutes were the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC), Sri Lanka, Department of National Zoological Gardens (DNZG), Sri Lanka, and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, USA.

The course focused on the management, nutrition, health, reproduction and breeding of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) with additional discussions on local and regional conservation issues. It had two components: a stand-alone distance learning (online-based) course of 6 weeks duration (12th May – 10th June 2014) that participants completed from their home countries; and a hands-on practical training course of one-week (7th – 11th July 2014) that was conducted on-site in Sri Lanka. The on-site training was conducted at the University of Peradeniya, Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage, Elephant Transit Home and Uda-Walawe National Park.

The course was attended by 22 participants from Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Italy, Lao, Malaysia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom, United States and Vietnam. Asian Elephant Support was proud to sponsor Dr Van Tinh Pham from Vietnam, who works at the Dak Lak Elephant Conservation Center (ECC) in the central highland province of Dak Lak. The ECC aims to protect both wild and domestic elephants in the Dak Lak province, where elephant population numbers are critically low.

The central highlands region is Vietnam's primary elephant habitat. The Dak Lak Elephant Conservation Centre reported that the central highlands region had around 502 captive and more than 550 wild elephants in 1980, but all that are remain now are 49 captive elephants and five herds of wild elephants numbering 60-70 individuals. Shrinking forests, illegal poaching, shortage of food, improper breeding techniques, and overworking have been the cause of deaths of both captive and wild elephants. Experts estimate that the captive elephant population will disappear in 20-30 years if they do not reproduce. According to the Dak Lak ECC, the reproduction rate of captive elephants over the past 30 years has been only 0.6 % per year, and the rate has dropped even further now because of limited opportunity to breed. To boost the captive population there is now an emphasis on reproduction, which was a primary focus in the training course attended by Dr Van Tinh Pham.