How Many Babies Can an Asian Elephant Have in One Prgnancy
Chendra, a 26-yr-old Asian elephant at the Oregon Zoo, is pregnant and expected to deliver another member of Portland's elephant family in late 2020.
The pregnancy — while long hoped for and strongly encouraged by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Species Survival Plan for Asian elephants — was a happy surprise for zoo staff. Over the past decade, Chendra has spent fourth dimension with several male elephants only until recently was not observed engaging in convenance behavior, according to Bob Lee, who oversees the zoo'south elephant surface area. At around 26, she was nearing the outer age limit for kickoff-time elephant moms; elephants that don't conceive by their mid-20s rarely conceive at all.
"We are so excited for Chendra," Lee said. "Raising a calf is one of the most enriching things an elephant tin can feel, and we didn't know whether she would ever accept that chance. Asian elephants have evolved to alive in in small social groups, and every member of the group has some office in raising young. We're thrilled by the prospect that Chendra and the rest of the herd may get that opportunity in the most future."
Care staff say Chendra conceived quondam in January, although they are not certain which of the zoo's two male elephants — Samson or Samudra — is the father.
"All nosotros tin say for sure is that the dad'southward name is Sam," Lee said. "Chendra has spent a lot of time with each of them over the past year. Nosotros won't know which Sam until the baby's born and nosotros're able to exercise some genetic tests."
The welcome pregnancy news comes equally zoo fauna-care staff wait definitive results on a potentially apropos routine tuberculosis test.
"A serological antigen-detection test flagged Chendra as reactive last week," zoo veterinarian Kelly Flaminio said. "This test is not a reliable indicator of agile TB, but information technology can exist an early predictor, so we're preparing for that outcome in order to be on the condom side. If we need to treat her, it's amend to get every bit quick a spring on it as we tin."
Dr. Flaminio says a definitive TB diagnosis takes upwards to eight weeks. In the meantime, Chendra is being housed separately, and animal-care staff are acting with an abundance of caution to ensure she and the balance of the elephant family remain healthy and rubber.
The Oregon Zoo has successfully treated three other elephants for TB — most recently Shine, who was pronounced clear of infection in 2017. Shine's treatment represented a breakthrough, Dr. Flaminio notes: Staff developed an innovative drug-commitment organisation for her that has been shared with elephant-care facilities effectually the country and could aid other animals in need of medical treatment. Chendra readily accepts placebos using this system then in that location would be no delay in starting handling if necessary.
Treatments for expectant human moms with TB do not appear to adversely affect their pregnancy; less is known about the outcome of treatment on pregnant elephants, although the medications are the same. If treatment is necessary for Chendra and all goes well, Dr. Flaminio says, the meaning pachyderm would be free of infection and dorsum with the herd long before the infant is due. The gestation period for elephants is around 22 months, the longest of any country mammal, and Chendra is at present six months pregnant — not yet past her first trimester in human terms.
Lee says Chendra'due south pregnancy is especially touching given her rough beginning to life. As a young calf, she was constitute wandering — orphaned, alone and hungry — near a palm oil plantation in Borneo. She had wounds on her front legs and her left eye, leaving her bullheaded in that center. Because she was and so immature and could not be reunited with her herd or released back into the wild, the Sabah government reached out to the zoo, which was able to give her a habitation here in 1999.
"Having a family and raising a calf of her own is something we've e'er hoped for with Chendra," said Dr. Sen Nathan, assistant director of the Sabah Wildlife Section in Malaysian Borneo and caput of the land's Wild animals Rescue Unit. "A chance for her to take a consummate life like that, subsequently all she had been through — we couldn't ask for anything more."
The Oregon Zoo is recognized worldwide for its Asian elephant programme, which has spanned more than lx years. Considered highly endangered in their range countries, Asian elephants are threatened by habitat loss, conflict with humans and disease. It is estimated that just forty,000 to l,000 elephants remain in fragmented populations from Bharat to Kalimantan. The zoo supports a broad range of efforts to help wild elephants, and has established a $i 1000000 endowment fund supporting Asian elephant conservation.
Source: https://www.oregonzoo.org/node/5926/media
0 Response to "How Many Babies Can an Asian Elephant Have in One Prgnancy"
Postar um comentário