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Hand-raising Orphan Asian Elephants

Press Release

4 September 2024

NEW GUIDELINES FOR HAND-RAISING ORPHAN ASIAN ELEPHANTS

A Free Online Resource to Help Save Orphaned, Wild Asian Elephants

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Contact Information for this

Press Release

 

Susan Mikota DVM

Elephant Care International

Hohenwald TN USA

smikota@elephantcare.org

 

or

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Hollis Burbank-Hammarlund

Work for Wild Life International

Marlboro VT USA

iwork4wildlife@gmail.com

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Photo credit: Hollis Burbank-Hammarlund

Elephant Care International and Work for Wild Life International announce the launch of an urgently-needed, professional resource to help save the lives of orphan Asian elephants.

 

Hand-Raising Orphan Asian Elephants, A Practical Guide for Asian Elephant Range Country Care Providers is an open-access online resource that provides vital information for elephant veterinarians, veterinary technicians, care-givers, villagers, mahouts, and others tasked with caring for an orphaned Asian elephant.

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To date, there has been no comprehensive resource to provide practical and science-based information on how to care for wild Asian elephant calves that have been orphaned. Until now!

 

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There are many reasons why young elephants are orphaned. Human-elephant conflict is a major contributor.

 

Falling into ditches or wells, accidental electrocution, being caught in snares or hit by trains or vehicles, poisoned by agricultural chemicals--as well as natural disasters, such as floods--kill many wild Asian elephants, including mothers. Injured or weak elephant calves may be separated from their herd or abandoned. Unless humans step in to help, survival is unlikely.

 

But caring for elephant calves is extremely challenging even for the most experienced care facilities. Many die within the first few months.

 

Written by an international team* of Asian elephant health and welfare experts, the new Hand-Raising Orphan Asian Elephants guide includes veterinary protocols, step-by-step instructions, photos, videos, and a variety of healthcare and welfare tools to ensure young orphan elephants have the opportunity to thrive--and be returned to the wild!

 

From “First Encounter” to “Release Back to the Wild”—11 chapters in all. This new guide will give orphaned elephants a second chance.

 

Topics Covered in the Guide:

  • Chapter 1: First Encounter

  • Chapter 2: Physical Examination & Preventative Healthcare

  • Chapter 3: The Nursery Area

  • Chapter 4: Feeding Milk

  • Chapter 5: Digestive Physiology/Gut Flora

  • Chapter 6: Feeding/Introducing Solid Foods

  • Chapter 7: Growth & Behavioral Development

  • Chapter 8: Medical Problems & Treatment

  • Chapter 9: Medical Procedures

  • Chapter 10: Training for Veterinary Procedures

  • Chapter 11: Guidelines for Release of Orphan Elephants to the Wild

  • Appendix

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Today, the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) is classified as endangered according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List. Populations have declined by at least 50% in the last three generations to just 15% of its historic range. There are fewer than 40,000 Asian elephants left in the wild today, with continued declines mainly caused by habitat loss, human-elephant conflict and poaching. Climate change threatens to further undermine the survival of this keystone species.

 

Saving the lives of orphaned Asian elephants is critical to the long-term survival of wild Asian elephants.

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SUPPORTING INFORMATION FOR THIS PRESS RELEASE

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*Our International Team of Elephant Experts Who Contributed to our Guide's Chapters:
 

  • Dr. Susan Mikota, Veterinarian Elephant Care International (US)

  • Dr. Vijitha Perera, Veterinarian, Elephant Transit Home (Sri Lanka)

  • Dr. Willem Schaftenaar, Veterinarian, Advisor to the Elephant Taxon Advisory Group (Europe)

  • Dr. Khyne U. Mar, Veterinarian (Myanmar and the UK)

  • Dr. Ellen Dierenfeld, Nutritionist, Research Advisor (US)

  • Dr. Bhaskar Choudhury, Veterinarian, Wildlife Trust of India (India)

  • Hollis Burbank-Hammarlund, Founder/Director Work for Wild Life International (US)

 

Quotes from our Team:

 

Dr. Susan K. Mikota – Veterinarian, Executive Director & Director of Veterinary Programs and Research, Elephant Care International (Read more)

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“Elephant Care International receives many requests every year from concerned individuals in Asia who have found a baby elephant and don’t know what to do. It is impossible to convey in an email or by phone all the care information that must be communicated. For this reason, we decided to create a comprehensive open-access online hand-raising resource for villagers, caregivers, mahouts, and veterinarians who encounter and care for orphaned Asian elephants.” 

 

Dr. B. Vijitha Perera - Chief Wildlife Veterinarian, Department of Wildlife Conservation, Elephant Transit Home, Udawalawe, Sri Lanka (Read more)

 

“Elephant calves receive the best care from their mothers. When a calf becomes orphaned, providing maternal care is an immense challenge, but it is crucial for their survival. The Hand-raising Orphan Asian Elephant Guide meets a long-standing need for successfully caring for orphaned calves, and is an invaluable contribution to the conservation of endangered Asian elephants.”

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Dr. Bhaskar Choudhury - Manager and Head Veterinarian at Wildlife Trust of India  (Read more)

 

“This handbook was long awaited as nothing like it was previously available. It will be a benchmark in Asian elephant calf management for years to come."

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Information About Project Partners/Collaborators:

 

Elephant Care International (ECI) (www.elephantcare.org) is a non-profit organization based in the U.S. dedicated to the health, welfare, and conservation of elephants and the sharing of information. ECI co-founder, executive director, and director of veterinary programs and research, Dr. Susan K. Mikota (DVM), collaborates with NGOs and individuals throughout Asia to pioneer and share innovative elephant veterinary care and welfare knowledge and practice to create a kinder, gentler, healthier world for elephants.

 

Work for Wild Life International (https://elesentience.wixsite.com/work4wildlife) provides professional project fundraising, development, planning and implementation support for people and organizations working to enhance the welfare of wildlife living in captivity, in sanctuaries and care centers, and in the wild. Founder/Director Hollis Burbank-Hammarlund collaborates with NGOs and individuals in Indonesia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Laos, India, and Myanmar.

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Project Funder:

Coville-Triest Family Foundation

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