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Asian Elephant
Kandula
Baby Asian elephant Kandula (Elephas maximus)
arrived on November 25, 2001, the Zoo’s most welcome
Thanksgiving present in years. Remarkable not only for
his arrival but also his conception, the 325-pound pachyderm
was the product of the fourth successful artificial
insemination of an elephant in the United States, and
only the fifth such occurrence in the world. Zoo scientists
collaborated with authorities from around the world
to bring about mother Shanthi’s pregnancy and
see it through to fruition.As part of the planned Asia
Trail, the elephant enclosure will be remodeled, greatly
expanded, and strengthened to best accommodate the lively
male elephant, his mother, and their fellow herd mates.Armed
with their increased knowledge of artificial insemination
and elephant reproductive biology, the Zoo also hopes
to continue its breeding program and expand the size
of the Zoo’s herd.
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Zoo Reproduction
of Elephants
Today, few elephants come to zoos from the wild,
and zoo elephants seldom breed. This leaves Zoo scientists
with a great challenge—to boost zoo elephant breeding
before the zoo population dwindles. Bringing zoo elephants
together is difficult from a logistical standpoint:
Bull elephants are often dangerous, while shuttling
elephants from one zoo to the next is costly and may
stress the animals. Enter artificial insemination—the
surgical union of egg and sperm. This technique has
enabled a few isolated elephants to breed without ever
leaving home. Kandula is a prime example of progress
in this area. Zoo scientists are also learning how to
detect female elephant health problems, such as uterine
fibroids or ovarian cysts, that may inhibit breeding.
Other questions remain, such as: Why do seemingly healthy
adult females lack normal ovarian activity? In the meantime,
scientists hope to improve methods of collecting and
freezing sperm from wild and zoo male elephants and
establish a reliable bank of diverse elephant sperm
for use in regular artificial inseminations. All of
this work may help the zoo elephant population reach
self-sustaining status in the future.
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Large animals that rove over large areas, Asian elephants must now move through habitat patchworks riddled with farm fields and villages. This leads to increased clashes between pachyderms and people, most often to the elephants’ detriment. National Zoo scientists use satellite imagery and digital data to map the critical habitats that remain for elephants, tracking where logging occurs, where fires spread, and how expanding roadways fragment these areas (and lead to increased likelihood that poachers can reach elephants). Although scientists estimate that between 30,000 and 40,000 wild Asian elephants live in 13 Asian countries,much remains unknown, including the details of individual population sizes, such as where they thrive or where they are in decline, and to what degree their movements are blocked by spreading agriculture, dams, and other human-made obstacles. To answer the questions, Zoo scientists and their colleagues also monitor a herd of elephants in Myanmar, tracking their movements using global positioning system (GPS) satellite collars. As the answers come to light, Zoo scientists will share their findings with Asian colleagues and work with them in hopes of securing a bright future for Asia’s huge wanderers.
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ZooGoer 32(2) 2003.
Copyright 2003 Friends of the National Zoo.
All rights reserved.
