Browse
Submit Data
Databases
API
Help

Dataset Information

18 Views

0 Connections

0 Citations

0 Reanalyses

0 Downloads

Omics score: 0

Population and distribution of wild Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) in Phu Khieo Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The populations of wild Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) have increased recently after a period of worldwide decline in protected areas. It is important to understand the dynamics and distribution of the remaining populations to ensure their conservation and prevent human-elephant conflicts.

Methods

We monitored the population distribution of elephants between 2016 and 2019 in the Phu Khieo Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand. We set one hundred forty-nine camera trap locations; cameras recorded 38,834 photos over 6,896 trap nights. Elephants were captured in 4,319 photographs. The maximum entropy modeling software MaxEntwas used to identify elephants' habitat preferences within 49 of the 149 total camera trap locations according to five environmental factors.

Results

One hundred fourteen elephants were identified. We identified 30 adult males, 43 adult females, 14 sub-adult males, nine sub-adult females, 11 juveniles, and seven calves. The age structure ratio based on adult femaleswas 0.7:1:0.3:0.2:0.3:0.2, and the ratio of reproductive ability between adult females, juveniles, and calves was 1:0.2:0.1. A suitable elephant habitat was determined to be 1,288.9 km² using Area Under the Curve (AUC). An AUC = 0.061 indicated good performance. Our model classified habitat preferences associated with elevation, forests, salt licks, human activity, and slope.

Conclusions

According to our probability map this sanctuary can provide a suitable habitat for elephants. Our results indicate that effective management practices can protect wild Asian elephants in the region and reduce conflict between humans and elephants.

SUBMITTER: Htet NNP

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8325913 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Json Xml

Similar Datasets

Evidence of means-end behavior in Asian elephants (Elephas maximus).

Project description:The present study explores to what extent Asian elephants show "means-end" behavior. We used captive Asian elephants (N = 2) to conduct four variations of the Piagetian "support" problem, which involves a goal object that is out of reach, but rests on a support within reach. In the first condition, elephants were simultaneously presented with two identical trays serving as the "support", with the bait on one tray and the other tray left empty. In the next two conditions, the bait was placed on one tray, while additional bait was placed beside the other tray. In the last condition, both trays contained bait, but one of the trays had a small gap which prevented the elephants from reaching the reward. Subjects were required to choose and pull either tray with their trunk and to obtain the bait (i.e. goal). Results showed that one elephant performed all of the support problems significantly above chance after several sessions, suggesting that the elephant was capable of understanding that pulling the tray was the "means" for achieving the "end" of obtaining the bait. This study showed that elephants show means-end behavior when subjected to a Piagetian "support" task, and indicates that such goal-directed behavior occurs in species other than primates.

| S-EPMC2668564 | biostudies-other

Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) reassure others in distress.

Project description:Contact directed by uninvolved bystanders toward others in distress, often termed consolation, is uncommon in the animal kingdom, thus far only demonstrated in the great apes, canines, and corvids. Whereas the typical agonistic context of such contact is relatively rare within natural elephant families, other causes of distress may trigger similar, other-regarding responses. In a study carried out at an elephant camp in Thailand, we found that elephants affiliated significantly more with other individuals through directed, physical contact and vocal communication following a distress event than in control periods. In addition, bystanders affiliated with each other, and matched the behavior and emotional state of the first distressed individual, suggesting emotional contagion. The initial distress responses were overwhelmingly directed toward ambiguous stimuli, thus making it difficult to determine if bystanders reacted to the distressed individual or showed a delayed response to the same stimulus. Nonetheless, the directionality of the contacts and their nature strongly suggest attention toward the emotional states of conspecifics. The elephants' behavior is therefore best classified with similar consolation responses by apes, possibly based on convergent evolution of empathic capacities.

| S-EPMC3932735 | biostudies-literature

Evidence of high EEHV antibody seroprevalence and spatial variation among captive Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) in Thailand.

Project description:BackgroundElephant endotheliotropic herpesviruses (EEHV) can cause an acute highly fatal hemorrhagic disease in young Asian elephants (Elephas maximus), both ex situ and in situ. Amongst eight EEHV types described so far, type 1 (subtype 1A and 1B) is the predominant disease-associated type. Little is known about routes of infection and pathogenesis of EEHV, and knowledge of disease prevalence, especially in range countries, is limited.MethodsA large cross-sectional serological survey was conducted in captive elephants (n = 994) throughout Thailand using an EEHV-1A glycoprotein B protein antigen specific antibody ELISA.ResultsAntibody seroprevalence was 42.3%, with 420 of 994 elephants testing positive. Associations between seropositivity and potential risk factors for EEHV infection were assessed and included: elephant age, sex, camp cluster size, management type (extensive versus intensive), sampling period (wet vs. dry season) and location of camp (region). Univariable regression analysis identified management system and region as risk factors for the presence of EEHV antibodies in elephants, with region being significant in the final multivariable regression model. Prevalence was highest in the North region of the country (49.4%).ConclusionsThis study produced baseline serological data for captive elephants throughout Thailand, and showed a significant EEHV burden likely to be maintained in the captive population.

| S-EPMC6415343 | biostudies-literature

Endotheliotropic herpesvirus infection in Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) of Assam, India.

Project description:Background and Aim:Elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV) is an emerging disease of elephant. Therefore, a study was conducted to know the actual status of the disease in Assam State of India. Materials and Methods:A total of 289 Asian elephants of Assam were screened during 2 years of study from April 2017 to March 2019. The clinical symptoms of diseased as well as gross and histopathological changes of dead elephants were recorded for the diagnosis of the disease. Virus involved in the occurrence of the disease was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results:In the present study, a total of three elephant calves out of 22 were found positive to EEHV1A. On the other hand, three adult asymptomatic elephants were also found positive for EEHV1 on screening 267 captive Asian elephants of Assam. The amplified PCR product showed band size of 520, 600, and 930 bp. The PCR amplified product with size 600 bp had shown the gene sequence for EEHV1U77/HEL. Gross lesions include congested blood vessels of the liver and intestinal mucosa, foci of petechiae in the spleen, and heart and focal ulceration in the dorsal surface of the tongue. Microscopically, the kidneys showed intertubular edema and focal areas of degeneration associated with coagulative necrosis of the tubular epithelium. The liver showed hydropic degeneration and fatty changes of the hepatocytes. There was a massive proliferation of fibroblasts in the interlobular spaces which penetrated the necrosed areas of the hepatic lobules. Conclusion:A total of three wild rescued elephant calves and three asymptomatic adults were found positive for EEHV1A during the 2 years of study. The PCR amplified product with size 600 bp had shown the gene sequence for EEHV1U77/HEL.

| S-EPMC6925033 | biostudies-literature

Human interventions in a behavioural experiment for Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus).

Project description:Experiments are widely used to investigate the behaviour and cognition of animals. While the automation of experiments to avoid potential experimenter bias is sometimes possible, not all experiments can be conducted without human presence. This is particularly true for large animals in captivity, which are often managed by professional handlers. For the safety of the animals and experimenters, a handler must be present during behavioural studies with certain species. It is not always clear to what extent cues provided by handlers affect the animals, and therefore the experimental results. In this study, we investigate handler interventions during the training process for a behavioural experiment with Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) in Nepal. We show that elephant handlers (mahouts) intervened to guide elephants in performing the learning task using vocal and behavioural cues, despite experimenters requesting minimal intervention. We found that although the frequency of mahout interventions did not decrease as the training progressed, the nature of their interventions changed. We also found more non-verbal than verbal cues across the training. Our results suggest that guidance from handlers may be common in behavioural studies, and continued consideration should be put into experimental design to reduce or account for cues that animals may receive from humans. This study also emphasises the need to take into account the presence of humans in interpreting the results of animal behavioural experiments, which not only presents challenges to behavioural research, but also represents opportunities for further study.

| S-EPMC9392510 | biostudies-literature

Acoustic structure and information content of trumpets in female Asian elephants (Elephas maximus).

Project description:Most studies on elephant vocal communication have focused on the low-frequency rumble, with less effort on other vocalization types such as the most characteristic elephant call, the trumpet. Yet, a better and more complete understanding of the elephant vocal system requires investigating other vocalization types and their functioning in more detail as well. We recorded adult female Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) at a private facility in Nepal and analyzed 206 trumpets from six individuals regarding their frequency, temporal and contour shape, and related acoustic parameters of the fundamental frequency. We also tested for information content regarding individuality and context. Finally, we recorded the occurrence of non-linear phenomena such as bifurcation, biphonation, subharmonics and deterministic chaos. We documented a mean fundamental frequency ± SD of 474 ± 70 Hz and a mean duration ± SD of 1.38 ± 1.46 s (Nindiv. = 6, Ncalls = 206). Our study reveals that the contour of the fundamental frequency of trumpets encodes information about individuality, but we found no evidence for trumpet subtypes in greeting versus disturbance contexts. Non-linear phenomena prevailed and varied in abundance among individuals, suggesting that irregularities in trumpets might enhance the potential for individual recognition. We propose that trumpets in adult female Asian elephants serve to convey an individual's identity as well as to signal arousal and excitement to conspecifics.

| S-EPMC8610244 | biostudies-literature

Investigating Indirect and Direct Reputation Formation in Asian Elephants (<i>Elephas maximus</i>).

Project description:Reputation is a key component in social interactions of group-living animals and appears to play a role in the establishment of cooperation. Animals can form a reputation of an individual by directly interacting with them or by observing them interact with a third party, i.e., eavesdropping. Elephants are an interesting taxon in which to investigate eavesdropping as they are highly cooperative, large-brained, long-lived terrestrial mammals with a complex social organisation. The aim of this study was to investigate whether captive Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) could form reputations of humans through indirect and/or direct experience in two different paradigms: (1) a cooperative string-pulling task and (2) a scenario requiring begging. Fourteen captive Asian elephants in Thailand participated in an experimental procedure that consisted of three parts: baseline, observation, and testing. In the observation phase, the subject saw a conspecific interact with two people-one cooperative/generous and one non-cooperative/selfish. The observer could then choose which person to approach in the test phase. The elephants were tested in a second session 2-5 days later. We found no support for the hypothesis that elephants can form reputations of humans through indirect or direct experience, but these results may be due to challenges with experimental design rather than a lack of capacity. We discuss how the results may be due to a potential lack of ecological validity in this study and the difficulty of assessing motivation and attentiveness in elephants. Furthermore, we highlight the importance of designing future experiments that account for the elephants' use of multimodal sensory information in their decision-making.

| S-EPMC7841644 | biostudies-literature

The first report on internal transcribed spacer region-based characterization of microfilaria in Asian elephants (<i>Elephas maximus</i>) in Thailand.

Project description:Background and aimFilarial infections can significantly impact the health of both humans and animals. In elephants, filariasis has been associated with cutaneous dermatitis and skin nodules. However, molecular evidence for such infections is limited in Thailand. This study aimed to identify the morphological and molecular characteristics of microfilaria in captive Asian elephants in Thailand.Materials and methodsWhole blood collected from the ear vein of 129 captive Asian elephants was hematologically analyzed, and the blood parasites were evaluated using three standard techniques: The microcapillary test, thin blood smears, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR).ResultsConventional PCR revealed that approximately 17% (22/129) of the sampled elephants were positive for microfilaria. Microscopy revealed that microfilariae are large, unsheathed, with extended nuclei, a short headspace, and a curved tail tapering at the end. Results of internal transcribed spacer region analysis show that the elephant microfilariae are closely related to Onchocerca spp. All of the elephants positive for microfilaria presented with neither skin lesion nor anemic signs. Microfilaria infection was not associated with age; however, microfilariae were more likely to be detected in male elephants due to differences in management systems.ConclusionThis is the first study to provide both morphological and molecular evidence of microfilaria in Thai elephants. There is an urgent need to investigate the long-term and large-scale effects of microfilaria on the health of elephants.

| S-EPMC8448634 | biostudies-literature

Identification of shedders of elephant endotheliotropic herpesviruses among Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) in Switzerland.

Project description:Elephants, particularly Asian (Elephas maximus), are threatened by lethal elephant hemorrhagic disease (EHD) due to elephant endotheliotropic herpesviruses (EEHV). At least five of seven known EEHV types have been associated to EHD, with types 1, 4, and 5 predominantly affecting Asian elephants. In Switzerland, at least three Asian elephants have been lost due to EHD but nothing is known about the present EEHV1 circulation. Moreover, the prevalence of other EEHV types has never been assessed. Intermittent shedding of EEHV can be monitored through collecting trunk secretions and analyzing them by PCR methods that discriminate the different EEHV types. To identify EEHV shedders, seven of eight Asian elephants in a Swiss zoo were trained to provide trunk wash samples. These were collected at intervals over a period of four months and tested by PCR for presence of EEHV1 through 6. Moreover, the quality of each sample was assessed by testing for the elephant TNF-alpha gene. Overall, 57% of the samples were valid with five of seven participating elephants identified as EEHV shedders. Two of those shed virus only once, whereas the other three, all closely related among each other, shed virus on multiple occasions. One of the frequent shedders had been in very close contact to all of the three EHD victims. Therefore, we speculate that this particular animal may represent the virus source in all three cases. However, when subtyping was conducted, the presently circulating virus was identified as EEHV1B, while the virus subtype causing EHD had been 1A in all three cases. In addition to four animals excreting EEHV1, a recently introduced animal was observed to shed EEHV3/4. We suggest that the policy of trunk washing to identify and characterize EEHV-shedders is to be endorsed in zoos with ongoing or planned elephant breeding programs.

| S-EPMC5415103 | biostudies-literature

Characteristics of gut microbiota in captive Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) from infant to elderly.

Project description:Gut microbiota play an important role in the health and disease of Asian elephants, however, its characteristics at each stage of life have not been thoroughly investigated in maintaining and regulating health of elephants. This study, therefore, aimed to characterize the profiles of the gut microbiota of captive Asian elephants from infants to the elderly. Gut microbiota were identified by 16S rRNA sequencing from the feces of captive Asian elephants with varying age groups, including infant calves, suckling calves, weaned calves, subadult and adult elephants, and geriatric elephants. The diversity of the gut microbiota was lowest in infants, stable during adulthood, and slightly decreased in the geriatric period. The gut microbiota of the infant elephants was dominated by milk-fermenting taxa including genus Bifidobacterium of family Bifidobacteriaceae together with genus Akkermansia. The fiber-fermenting taxa such as Lachnospiraceae_NK3A20_group were found to be increased in suckling elephants in differential abundance analysis by Analysis of Compositions of Microbiomes with Bias Correction (ANCOM-BC). The gut microbiota profiles after weaning until the adult period has been uniform as indicated by no significant differences in beta diversity between groups. However, the composition of the gut microbiota was found to change again in geriatric elephants. Understanding of the composition of the gut microbiota of captive Asian elephants at various life stages could be beneficial for promoting good health throughout their lifespan, as well as ensuring the welfare of captive elephants.

| S-EPMC10754835 | biostudies-literature

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

OmicsDI is an Elixir interoperability service. Learn more ›

Tweets

OmicsDI Databases

PRIDE
PeptideAtlas
MassIVE
JPOST Repository
Physiome Model Repository

EGA
EVA
ENA
LINCS
PAXDB
Cell Collective

MetaboLights
Metabolomics Workbench
MetabolomeExpress
GNPS
BioModels
FAIRDOMHub

ArrayExpress
dbGaP
ExpressionAtlas
GEO
NODE

Information

Databases
Help
API
Contact us
Code on GitHub
Terms of use
Submit Data