Digestive problems are extremely dangerous in both wild and captive elephants – did you know that something that seems as ‘ordinary’ as constipation or diarrhoea can kill an elephant? Read on to see why…

 

 

For any elephant, maintaining a healthy digestive system is not easy, but it is so important. Because of their plant-based diet, elephants need a healthy gut, containing a range of helpful microbes which slowly digest plant fibre (cellulose). This produces fatty acids, which the elephant can absorb for energy. If an elephant eats too much fibrous material at once, this can slow digestion so much that it can diminish appetite and prevent them from eating enough.

If an elephant eats lots of starchy foods like bananas, these are digested very quickly, producing excess gas which can bloat and damage the gut and cause constipation. It is also very uncomfortable and can cause a lot of pain. It is a bit like some forms of colic in horses, and also occurs in ruminants like cattle and goats. It can be fatal, so it is vital to provide a balance of tough, fibrous foods and only give bananas and other easily-digested foods as a treat.

With captive elephants, colic can also be caused by feeding too many or badly formulated supplements or pellet balls, and also by internal parasites, or sudden changes to either diet (upsetting gut bacteria) or routine (upsetting the elephant). Elephant care is a challenge requiring complete dedication, observation and sensitivity.

Caring for domestic elephants:

Kwan-chaangs (elephant carers, also known by the Hindi word ‘mahout’) need to ensure that bananas or pellet balls are fed sparingly and that a variety of roughage is available for their elephants to slowly graze on throughout the day. This mimics an elephant’s natural feeding strategy. If changes to diet or routine are necessary, these have to be phased in over several weeks, while kwan-chaangs monitor their elephants’ stance, body condition and mood to ensure they are comfortable. Kwan-chaangs should also inspect their elephants’ faeces daily – it is not a particularly glamorous job, but this helps detect early signs of digestive disturbance or infection.

It is important for elephants to be allowed to roam freely and get plenty of exercise to stimulate motility in the gut and keep their metabolisms working. It also helps keep them in shape – a big concern surrounding captive elephants is overfeeding. Obesity can lead to overheating problems, joint problems, inflammation of the toenails, reduced mobility and infertility, so, once again, sugary foods like bananas must be given as treats only. Elephants can actually be weighed regularly (there are special measuring tapes and formulae for doing this) – the healthy range is about 2500-5000 kg for adult females and 3500-6000 kg for adult males.

Each kwan-chaang should also inspect his elephant’s dental health daily, which requires a very trusting relationship! Elephants have six sets of teeth throughout their life. They must eat enough fibrous roughage to naturally wear down each set and work out old teeth to make room for the new ones.

 

 

Find out more:

Phang Nga Elephant Park (2015-2019). Appearance and Intelligence. See: https://phangngaelephantpark.com/appearance-and-intelligence/ 

Saint Louis Zoo (2003-2019) See: https://www.stlzoo.org/animals/abouttheanimals/mammals/asianelephant/elephantedibles

Association of Zoos & Aquariums (2012). AZA Standards for Elephant Management and Care. 2nd ed. USA: Association of Zoos & Aquariums. p28.

Hatt, J.M; Clauss, M. (2006). Feeding Asian and African Elephants in Captivity. International Zoo Yearbook. 40 (Elephants and Rhinoceros), 88-95.

Hile, E.M., Hintz, H.F., Hollis, N. (1997). Predicting body weight from body measurements in Asian elephants (Elephas maximas). Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine 23, 205-210

 

A group of enthusiastic school children recently enjoyed a day at the Phang Nga Elephant Park (PNEP) to learn about elephants.  This followed on from the inaugural visit by students in December 2018 (see previous news item) supported by STEF as part of its commitment to encourage education on the welfare and history of Thailand’s elephants.

The students came from the Yaowawit school in Kapong, 125km north of Phuket, which was initially set up to aid children affected by the tsunami in December 2004, and now educates some 138 youngsters from underprivileged families.  The lucky group of 20 that were welcomed for the day at PNEP as part of the Place2C programme had the Park exclusively to themselves, offering them the opportunity to meet the elephants, learn about them – and have some fun.

The students, aged 7-12 years, learnt about the important role of the Asian elephant in Thai culture as well as the management, welfare and history of these magnificent animals.  They watched as the daily health checks were done, and saw for themselves the care given to the elephants.  Then, of course, the best part:  they got to feed the elephants with the supplement food balls (which they had helped to make) and lots of bananas.

Later in the afternoon they all took part in an elephant themed treasure hunt with educational clues (and plenty of prizes) until the final clue led them to helping the PNEP’s volunteers to plant grass for future food for the elephants.

“Our children had a lovely time at the park” said Miss Pissamai KomKirin, Manager of Yaowawit School.  “They really liked the programme that was organised.  Thank you for this great opportunity”.

The Children met the STEF Thailand Chairman, Jake Thaotad, who commented “We were so pleased to sponsor the visit of these lovely children to the Phang Nga Elephant Park.  The smiles on their faces as they met the elephants and fed them bananas was a joy to see.  They also learned so much from the fantastic team at the Park.  STEF Thailand is very proud to be associated with the Place2C project”