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Elephants African and Asian

Elephants African and Asian. By Heather Martin. Background info. Mammal Herbivore Largest land animals alive today Gestation period is 22 months, the longest of any land animal May live as long as 70 years Symbols of Wisdom in Asian Cultures Excellent sense of hearing and smell

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Elephants African and Asian

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  1. ElephantsAfrican and Asian By Heather Martin

  2. Background info • Mammal • Herbivore • Largest land animals alive today • Gestation period is 22 months, the longest of any land animal • May live as long as 70 years • Symbols of Wisdom in Asian Cultures • Excellent sense of hearing and smell • Highly intelligent, never forgets • Extremely Social

  3. • Eat 150-200 lb hay, 30-50 gallons of water on a daily basis • Asian Average Height- 10 ft • Weight – males, 10,000 – 12,000 lbs , females 8,000-10,000 lbs • African Average Height- 10.5, up to 13 ft • Weight – males, up to 15,000 lbs, females – up to 10,000 lbs

  4. Asian vs African • Smaller ears • Typically only males have external tusks • Have been on the endangered species list for 29 years • Found in parts of Bangladesh, India, Indonesia • Larger ears • Both male and female have external tusks • Typically less hairy • Found in Africa • Not as easily domesticated

  5. Asian ElephantsElephas Maximus

  6. African ElephantsLoxodonta africana

  7. The Trunk • 150,000 muscles • Uses – to smell, pick up food or objects, suck up water to blow into its mouth, spray liquid onto back to cool itself, protection from flies, and greeting one another • Extremely powerful and agile

  8. Elephant foot care • Because elephants walk on their toes they require a lot of care and maintenance • The toenail is an extension of their finger bones and grow continuously throughout their life • Elephants in captivity are prone to foot problems • Including cracks or small fractures in the nail which can lead to a bad infection • The nail should be filed short to prevent from cracking under the weight of the elephant

  9. Signs of illness in elephants • Listless, decreased movement, unusual behavior, exercise intolerance • Dull or sunken eyes, increased tear flow • Discharge from the trunk, coughing, abnormal respiratory sounds • Weight loss, sunken abdomen, prominent ribs • Decreased appetite, anorexia • Change in urine or feces (amount, color); straining • Lameness • Obvious pain • Any unusual swelling or protrusion

  10. Common Illness in elephants • Rabies • TB • Tetanus • Salmononellosis • Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus (EEHV) • Encephalomycarditis (EMC, EMCV)

  11. TB • typically infected with the human strain • transmission from human to elephant or elephant to elephant • Asian and African elephants susceptible • chronic, progressive, debilitating disease • Expensive to manage • Diagnosis - isolation of organism by culture, trunk wash technique

  12. Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus (EEHV) • This herpes virus is found in skin papillomas and vulvar lymphoid patches • Mainly found in young elephants • Found in wild/captive African Elephants • Fatal for Asian Elephants • Diagnosis- serological test Encephalomyocarditis (EMC, EMCV) • Both Asian and African susceptible • Antemortem diagnosis rare due to rapid clinical course

  13. Some Drugs Used in Elephants • Anesthetic agents • Barbiturates – Pentobarbitol, Thiopental • Inhalents – Isoflurane, Halothane • Miscellaneous – Ketamine, Xylazine • Anticholinergics • - Atropine, Glycopyrrolate

  14. Medication techniques- ORAL • Gustatory (smell) sense is well developed, known for refusal of oral medications • Can simply mix in their food to disguise, like sweets such as chocolate • Bite blocks can be used, but elephant must be trained to use • The elephant should open the mouth to accept the block and let it stay there until you take it out. 

  15. Medication techniques- INJECTION • Despite their large size and thick skin, elephants are quite sensitive to injections • Can use elephant restraint device or squeeze to restrain while giving injections • If there isn’t any device available, for the humans safety, the elephant should be laying down, in this position the elephant cannot react as quickly • In field situations, ropes are used and elephants may be tethered to trees to restrict movement • Subcutaneous route is not recommended, absorption from SQ tissues has not been studied and is questionable

  16. Intramuscular • Pole syringes (jabstick) can be used for remote injection • Remote projectors or darts may be used for the more dangerous elephant • 18 gauge needles used • May need to be 2-3 inches long, depending on injection site

  17. Intravenous • Auricular – most accessible, will dilate in warm weather and constrict in colder weather • Place in lateral recumbency • Apply warm heat to encourage vasodilation • Cephalic – on proximal medial forelimb is prominent • can be accessed with the elephant standing • places operator at risk from head and trunk movements • Sapheous - on the lower medial aspect of the hindleg • - with the elephant standing, in a stretched position, or in lateral recumbency • - vein is deeper than it appears

  18. Works Cited • http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/asian-elephant.html?nav=A-Z • http://www.elephantcare.org/datamenu.htm • http://elephantcare.com/default.aspx?id=5062 • http://desearch.nal.usda.gov/cgi-bin/dexpldcgi?qry2103469079;3

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