Woodland Park Zoo s Elephants and Elephant Management Program

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1 Woodland Park Zoo s Elephants and Elephant Management Program HISTORY Woodland Park Zoo acquired its first elephant, Wide Awake, in 1921 through a communitywide penny drive. Wide Awake lived at the zoo until she died in 1967 at the ripe age of 54. Asian elephants Bamboo, Chai, and Sri (pronounced see ) and African Watoto arrived between 1968 and All are females. The successful Save Our Elephants campaign was launched to replace the 60-year-old outdated, cramped elephant house. Pennies from school children and hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations from individuals and corporations raised $2.7 million to match county bond money to build a new home for the elephants. The $6 million Elephant Forest opened in 1989 and garnered best new exhibit award from the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA), the zoo s accrediting organization. After several years of unsuccessful artificial insemination attempts on Asian elephant Chai, the zoo sent her on a breeding loan in 1998 to Dickerson Park Zoo (Springfield, Missouri) to breed with Onyx. Chai returned pregnant a year later to Woodland Park where she gave birth to Hansa in November Hansa, a female Asian elephant, was born at Woodland Park Zoo on November 3, She represented the first elephant born at the zoo and in the state of Washington. Hansa was the offspring of Chai and Onyx (deceased, 2002, at Dickerson Park Zoo). Asian elephant, 33-year-old Sri, was sent in 2002 on a breeding loan to St. Louis Zoo where she successfully bred with Raja, an offspring of Onyx. She lost her calf in November 2005 due to complications during labor. Bamboo was moved to Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium (Tacoma, Wash.) in August 2005 to provide her an opportunity to live in an appropriate social grouping with animals her age where she would have more social contact. Unfortunately, the integration was not a success and she returned to Woodland Park Zoo in June Hansa died unexpectedly on June 8, 2007 after showing only mild symptoms of reduced activity and appetite. The cause of death was an elephant herpesvirus that was a newly identified discovery in the science community. Very little is known about this virus that is genetically distinct from two previously known elephant herpesviruses. ELEPHANTS CURRENTLY AT WOODLAND PARK ZOO Bamboo female Asian; 46 years old; born in Thailand and arrived at Woodland Park in 1968 at approximately a year old; currently weighs about 8,000 pounds. She started out living in the Children s Zoo in the Family Farm before she was moved to the old Elephant House. In 1989 Bamboo moved to the newly built Elephant Forest with the rest of the herd. Watoto (wah-toe-toe) female African; 44 years old; imported from Kenya in 1971 as an orphan from the wild; currently weighs 7,730 pounds. Watoto is the only African elephant at Woodland Park Zoo and is distinguished by her large ears, saddle-shaped back and tusks. She is also the tallest elephant at over 9 feet and has a large notch in her right ear.

2 Chai (rhymes with shy) female Asian; 34 years old; born in Thailand and arrived at Woodland Park in 1980 at a year old; currently weighs 7,740 pounds. Chai was named after an official at Thai Airways International and the Dusit Zoo (Bangkok, Thailand), which donated her to the zoo. Chai gave birth in 2000 to Hansa, the first elephant born at the zoo and in the state of Washington. EXHIBIT The Elephant Forest includes one acre of outdoor space for the elephants that provides a variety of substrates and features that allow the elephants multiple options. Most of the dirt areas are regularly tilled and re-graded twice a year, offering the elephants plenty of dirt for dirt baths. The elephants have trails to follow and explore, soft dirt and grass to walk on and graze; trees to browse from during spring and summer, and leaves to collect in the fall much like their cousins in the wild. The herd roams their habitat year round, and has access to their barn when the weather is cool. The outdoor pool holds 60,000 gallons of water, is 11 feet deep and contains a waterfall that is filtered to keep it pure. The barn has four separate holding areas. All areas in the barn that are accessible to the elephants have a special, rubberized flooring. Indoor showerheads are located in the barn with water heated to just the right temperature for elephant bathing. Radiant heat in the barn allows elephant doors to be left open without excessive heat loss. An interior protective wall features nine panels that can be opened independently, or in combination with each other, to allow keepers and veterinarians highly protected access to every part of an elephant s body. Adjustable footrests accommodate elephants of any size for pedicures and large slots allow them to present their ears for safe blood draws. Four hydraulic gates divide the exhibit into four separate enclosures and a staging paddock. The gates allow the keepers maximum flexibility in managing a behaviorally dynamic herd from a protected position outside the exhibit. Enrichment features include scratching posts, large logs, and a wobble tree in the south yard that offers opportunities for the elephants to strip bark. HUSBANDRY AND HEALTH Animal care As an accredited institution of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, Woodland Park Zoo meets or exceeds rigorous AZA Standards for Elephant Management and Care, standards that were developed over years in cooperation with animal welfare experts, field researchers and zoo elephant managers and keepers. These standards are more stringent than those of regulatory agencies and USDA, making them the highest standards for elephant care that exist. Woodland Park Zoo s professional and passionate animal management and animal health staff are dedicated to assuring the highest standards of animal care and husbandry for our elephants. Staff routinely carry out animal husbandry and veterinary procedures including baths, complete body exams and condition assessments, footwork, skin care, blood draws, medical procedures and administration of medication for any illnesses. Management The elephants are managed under protected contact, a management system that separates the keepers and elephants by a protective barrier. Training Responsible elephant husbandry provides a quality-training program. At Woodland Park, training behaviors are used daily to assess and facilitate routine management and care; provide physical and mental stimulation that enhances the animals well-being; and potentially lower stress during medical assessment and treatment. The elephants are trained to facilitate daily baths, skin

3 care, full body exams, including eye, ear, teeth and tusk, blood draws and to enter the elephant restraint device for husbandry, veterinary and reproductive procedures. Elephant restraint device The barn features a hydraulic elephant restraint device (ERD) that allows keepers access for routine husbandry and medical care. While the ERD restricts most, but not all of the elephant s mobility, it allows safe access to all four feet, tusks, trunk, face, ears, both sides, hindquarters and back by moving the animal or parts of the ERD. The elephant walks into the chute and a keeper interacts with her and feeds her treats (apples and carrots) during the exam or procedure. Routine foot care The elephants are trained to present their feet for daily inspections and cleaning. They are trained to present and hold each of their feet for extended periods of time for footpad, nail and cuticle trimming. Weight management All of the elephants are weighed monthly and diets are adjusted accordingly to ensure they are fit. Exercise Each elephant is regularly exercised through trained routines, such as baths, stretching exercises, etc. and by zookeepers scattering food and enriching items around the entire exhibit on varying substrates to encourage movement. This keeps the elephants active and flexible and helps prevent foot problems. Diet A high quality diet designed to meet all of the elephants nutritional needs is provided throughout the day. The diet includes hay, grain and vegetables; carrots are a favorite. Special treats are scattered around the elephants environment and hidden for them to find. We regularly monitor and evaluate the diet components and the animals consumption patterns. Continuing education The zoo s elephant keepers, veterinarians and curatorial staff regularly attend elephant management conferences and veterinary conferences to learn and share the latest techniques to ensure a sound elephant management program. Some staff also conduct training at these conferences. ENRICHMENT Enrichment offers elephants a range of choices that provide mental and physical stimulation. It also enhances the educational experience for zoo visitors. Different activities encourage a wide repertoire of species-appropriate behavior, such as foraging, digging, dust bathing, playing and scent exploration among others. Examples include toys such as balls, balls stuffed with treats or water, large tubes stuffed with hay and food containers suspended at high elevations. Staff continue to identify new and creative ways to keep the elephants healthy and mentally stimulated. Training also provides a form of enrichment that engages the elephants physically and mentally. Elephants are highly social animals. Living in an integrated herd provides a key source of enrichment other elephants. CONSERVATION AZA zoos care for nearly 290 elephants in North America. About one half are Asian and the other half are African. Conservation and education are the reasons we care for elephants in zoos. AZA members currently support more than 75 elephant conservation, research and educational projects. In situ projects include training for locals to participate in dung counts and dung analysis; human-elephant conflict surveys including crop and property damage; GPS to coordinate field observations; impact of social status, age and climate on reproduction in African elephants; pilot project to provide expertise in immuno-contraceptive vaccines to camp elephants and continuing ultrasound training to wildlife scientists in India. Ex situ projects include directional freezing for the cryopreservation of elephant semen for use in artificial insemination; behavioral and chemical correlations during musth; information relevant for conservation and captive management; elephant foot anatomy and pathology

4 study to aid elephant managers and veterinarians in the prevention and treatment of chronic pododermatitis; study of the reproductive strategies in African bull elephants. The Asian elephant population in North American zoos is in decline due to the large number of postreproductive aging females. Also contributing to the decline is a low birth rate and the small number of proven male breeding elephants. Woodland Park Zoo remains committed to the Elephant Species Survival Plan (SSP), a cooperative breeding program to help ensure genetic diversity and demographic stability in North American zoos. Additionally, SSPs involve a variety of other collaborative conservation activities such as research, public education, reintroduction and field projects. Much has been learned about elephants in the wild and some of that research is directly applicable to directing the care of elephants in our zoos. Similarly, zoo studies have created important breakthroughs in technologies such as elephant communication and satellite tracking techniques that are being used to aid conservation efforts in range countries. Elephant Conservation Projects Supported by Woodland Park Zoo Tarangire Elephant Project uses sound science, heartfelt appreciation of this unique ecosystem, and ongoing capacity-building to lead a model conservation program, including tracking African elephants in the Tarangire National Forest in Tanzania by means of global positioning systems to map their migration patterns. This will aid in drafting land use proposals to protect the elephants migration, feeding and calving areas. The program also supports the higher education of native Tanzanians who wish to devote their graduate work to conservation studies. Woodland Park Zoo received the 2008 Significant Achievement Award for International Conservation from the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) for its support of the Tarangire Elephant Project, in partnership with the Wildlife Conservation Society, Lincoln Park Zoo, Reid Park Zoo, Kansas City Zoo, Indianapolis Zoo, Roger Williams Park Zoo, Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, and Milwaukee County Zoo. Hutan Asian Elephant Conservation, a research and conservation program in Borneo. The longterm goal is to ensure the conservation of the elephant population of the Lower Kinabatangan and to reduce the rate of human-elephant conflicts through conservation research, local community involvement in managing local natural resources; local education and awareness on elephant conservation needs. Endotheliotropic Elephant Herpesvirus. Woodland Park Zoo s elephant herd contributes blood samples to an epidemiologic study of the endotheliotropic elephant herpesvirus (EEHV), which aims to identify the causes of the disease in an effort to ultimately prevent future EEHV fatalities. The study aims to find the status of EEHV in individual elephants, their potential for further transmission, and identify predisposing factors that make specific elephants more susceptible to the disease. This study also will factor in the potential impact this disease poses on the wild elephant populations in Asia. International Elephant Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports and operates elephant conservation and education programs both in managed facilities and in the wild, with emphasis on management, protection and scientific research. Projects include habitat protection, anti-poaching, reduction of human-elephant conflict, ecotourism/environmental education and veterinary medicine. ASSOCIATION OF ZOOS & AQUARIUMS ELEPHANT CONSERVATION AZA-accredited zoos support cooperative conservation projects that further education, research and development, field-based training, habitat restoration, ecotourism and community-based initiatives. AZA zoos also support national parks and reserves and conduct fundraising to support these projects. For more information, visit: AZA-accredited zoos also support the International Elephant Foundation (IEF) ( IEF is a non-profit organization that supports and operates elephant conservation and education programs both in managed facilities and in the wild, with emphasis on management, protection and scientific research. IEF receives the majority of its funding from members of AZA.

5 VISION FOR THE FUTURE WITH ELEPHANTS Directors of the 78 AZA-accredited zoos that care for elephants met in January 2005 and endorsed an aggressive new vision to ensure that elephants are part of the world s future. The directors reaffirmed and strengthened their passionate and unified commitment to care for and conserve elephants worldwide. The new AZA vision focuses on: science-based monitoring and management definitive elephant care practices facilities expansion enhanced field conservation efforts Reality is that what has been called the wild in Africa and Asia has many unresolved humanelephant conflicts. Increasingly there is diminishing room for elephants. As wild space continues to decline, there will be few places on earth where elephants are not managed in some way by humans. Under increasing population pressures in the wild, elephants need the particular support and expertise of AZA researchers, biologists and population managers. At the January meeting, zoo directors committed to providing even greater support for research and elephant conservation programs.