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Crawley JAH, Nandar H, Zaw HT, Lahdenperä M, Franco dos Santos DJ, Seltmann MW, Brown JL, Goodsell RM, Oo ZM, Htut W, Nyein UK, Aung HH, Lummaa V. Asian elephant calf physiology and mahout perspectives during taming in Myanmar. R Soc Open Sci 2024; 11:231172. [PMID: 38601029 PMCID: PMC11004675 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.231172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 02/22/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
A quarter of Asian elephants are captive, with greater than 90% of these tamed and cared for by handlers (mahouts) in Asia. Although taming is a much-discussed welfare issue, no studies to our knowledge have empirically assessed its impact on calves, and dialogue surrounding taming often lacks perspectives of those involved. Here, we interviewed mahouts involved in taming and monitored five physiological measures (faecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGMs), serum cortisol, glucose, creatine kinase (CK) and heterophil:lymphocyte (H:L)) over the first 10 days of taming and following six months in 41 calves undergoing taming and 16 control individuals. These measures assess the duration and intensity of stress during taming. Interviews suggested mahouts had major concerns for their safety when discussing changing taming practices, an important consideration for future management. Calf physiological measures were elevated by 50-70% (FGMs/cortisol/glucose), 135% (H:L) and greater than 500% (CK) over the first few days of taming, indicative of elevated stress, not seen to the same extent in control adults. Some measures stabilized sooner (glucose/cortisol/CK/FGM: 7-10 days) than others (H:L: one-two months), indicating mostly acute stress. Our findings inform the welfare of approximately 15 000 captive elephants around the world. Future studies should compare taming in different populations and consider calf and mahout welfare.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hnin Nandar
- Myanma Timber Enterprise, Yangon11011, Myanmar
- Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, , Yunnan650023, People's Republic of China
| | - Htet T. Zaw
- Myanma Timber Enterprise, Yangon11011, Myanmar
| | - Mirkka Lahdenperä
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku20014, Finland
- Department of Public Health, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku20521, Finland
- Centre for Population Health Research, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku20521, Finland
| | | | | | - Janine L. Brown
- Center for Species Survival, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Front Royal, VA22630, USA
| | - Robert M. Goodsell
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, SheffieldS10 2TN, UK
- Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet, Stockholm 4011418, Sweden
| | - Zaw M. Oo
- Myanma Timber Enterprise, Yangon11011, Myanmar
| | - Win Htut
- Myanma Timber Enterprise, Yangon11011, Myanmar
| | - U. K. Nyein
- Myanma Timber Enterprise, Yangon11011, Myanmar
| | | | - Virpi Lummaa
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku20014, Finland
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