Drs. Jansen Manansang MSc

Sharmy Prastiti

Taman Safari Indonesia (TSI) has 32 Sumatran elephants with 8 males and 24 females, 5 young females with various age average 1-2 years old. From 5 young offspring, we had been succeed with one hand raised elephant. This presentation showed about our succeed with hand rear method for Sumatran elephant.

Until now, observation and research about monitoring their behavior still continue in TSI. There are a program which called ICREW (Indonesian Center for Reproduction of Endangered Wildlife), that focuses into Indonesian endemic animals. Hopefully this presentation can be used as a reference for handling elephant in ex-site conservation.

Since 1980 the number of African elephant (Loxodonta africana), has fallen 50%, to 609,000 animals. Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) are more even endangered, with a total population of 49,000 to 60,500 individuals (including working elephant in S.E Asia). As free ranging elephant populations to diminish, those animals in captivity become critical to species survival, both as predecessors of future generations and as animals which inspire environmental concern and action among zoo visitors.

Elephant can be classified into order Proboscidea, family Elephantidae, genus Elephas with species Elephas maximus for Asian elephant and Loxodonta africana for African and subspecies Elephas maximus sumatrensis for Sumatran elephant which is spread from Way Kambas, Lampung until Gn. Sulah, Aceh (Anom, 1993).

The order Proboscidea was described by C. Illigeer in 1881 and was named according to its most noteworthy characteristic, the trunk (Latin proboscis). In addition to this impressive organ with its many capabilities. With body height between 5.5-5.7 m, tail length 1-2.1 m, shoulder height 2.5-4m and body weight 4-7.5 m, elephant is the biggest ruminant in their order. Generally elephant has a gray color and sometimes has a spotted in all of their body, flat in their head shape, the long trunk is between their noise and mouth.

The elephant trunk can be functionally considered as a fifth body, which has develop into a powerful and at the same time extremely fine-sensing, working arm. Anatomically it functions as an extended nose (Grzimek, 1990).

Comparing with African elephant, Asian elephant has a smaller ear, not have 4 nails in the foot but has 3 and doesn’t have 19 pairs of rib but 21, commonly has a shorter tusk for male. Sumatran elephant (Elephas maximus sumatrensis) are the smallest elephant in the subspecies Asian elephant classification and locate at that island.

The unique thing from this animals are their incredible memory and the well-known adage that "an elephant never forget" is true. The ability for long-term memory is due in large part to the fact that the elephant has the largest, heaviest brain of all mammals. It weighs about 12 lb (5.5 kg), with emphasis on the temporal lobe, which is important for the higher cerebral processes. For comparison: the human brain weighs about 3 lb or 1.4 kg (Grzimek, 1990).

The elephant’s body temperature is 90 to 99.5⁰F (32 to 37.5⁰C). This range apparently broad for a homeotherm, is not an indication of a primitive metabolism, but serves to reduce water and energy losses.

Elephant’s second birth

Elephant medicine is particularly challenging, also monitoring for pregnancy. Diagnosis and treatment are complicated by enormous size and unique physiology. Captive animals may succumb both to disorders unique to elephants and to conditions which are more readily resolved in other species.

One from thirty two elephants described above in TSI, had many challenges and gave many experiences for raising her. Besides as a challenge, also gave a valuable experience for many peoples who’s involved with both direct or indirect person.

Captive elephants usually become sexually mature earlier than their counterparts in the wild. The earliest onset of sexual maturity known for female is 6 years and 7 years for male. Mating from female ‘Mawar’ with male ‘Taru’ took place in July 6, 1993.

Normal gestation in an elephant lasts 20 to 22 months, with one baby every parturition and very rare happen twin, with body weight between 60-115 kilograms. After her pregnancy about 19 months, ‘Mawar’ born her female baby in January 12 1995 at 4.00 PM. Normal parturition usually signed by excretes discharge from vagina and normally take place midnight.

Name Chyntia given to Mawar’s baby, which born with body weight 55 kilograms. Since the first process of parturition, mother looked didn’t care with the baby which tried for standing and didn’t pull off or cleaning the umbilicus that normally done by elephant mother.

After waiting couple an hours from mother for pulling off her baby’s umbilical cord didn’t happen, TSI medical teams get an initiative took over the job for taking care of that baby. Normal newborn elephant calves attempt to stand, and should be standing within 45 minutes until 1 hour of birth. If there is any delay beyond that time suggests that the calf has a problem (Grzimek, 1990, Schmidt, 1993).

TSI veterinary medical team cleaned, tied on and cut off umbilicus from the baby as their first action. Chyntia’s umbilical cord diameter + 3 cm, with 3 blood vessels (artery, venous and nervous), for protecting the calf body immunity and avoiding from many diseases will be happen, Chyntia given Anti Tetanus Serum (ATS) and long acting Penicillin and streptomycin as an antibiotic.

There is another task have been done when saw that baby still can’t stand well. These condition made her difficult for milking from the mother’s udder. First step had been done by squeezing mother udder due to calf was still can not stand for milking from her mother and put the milk into a bottle after squeezing, then given to the calf.

But, there was no milk inside the udder and can said that mother did not produce any milk anymore. Oxytocin as a hormonal medicine drug given intramusculary (i.m)1 ml for helping mother produced and stimulated milk let down process when milk still not produce. Hopefully after giving hormonal medicine drug, mother will produced more milk which contains colostrum* that very useful for calf body immunity. Every newborn calf at least one week should get colostrum from mother.

After milk let down process happened, immediately milk squeezed from mother put into bottle. Besides gave milk from the bottle, calf tried to be stood in the bottom of mother for milking by herself. Apparently this method was successful enough and calf started milked from her mother.

* The thin, yellow, milky fluid secreted by the mammary gland a few days before or after parturition. It contains up to 20% protein, predominant among which are immunoglobulins, representing the antibody found in maternal blood and also more minerals and less fat and carbohydrate than does milk.

 

Note:

A: Length from the first sacrum until ear: 47 cm

B: Length from back leg until head : 92 cm

C: Length from ear until head: 23 cm

D: Height: 82 cm

E: Length from head until limit or tusk: 25 cm

F: Tusk length: 32 cm

G: Front leg length: 14.7 cm

H: Backside leg length: 15.1 cm

Two days after gave birth her child, ‘Mawar’ detected didn’t want to eat (anorexia) although many ways tried for stimulating her appetite with giving food she liked more than usual because she need more calories after gave birth, three times calories needed than a normal animal (Fowler, 1989).

Successful child for milking didn’t followed mother stability alive. Mother looked became more weak and didn’t have any ability for holding her body condition. After can not stand with her pain, suddenly ‘Mawar’ fallen down and can not stand any longer. She seizure for a while as if hold her really painful.

It seemed that mother didn’t show any activity as usual as she did and still didn’t care with the baby. In spite of many ways tried to the mother that she had to care about her calf. With making the child stood closer beside mother, but it didn’t make a little bit different. Mother still didn’t care with her calf and it was any possibility that mother still felt pain after gave birth and wanted to released her painful.

Medical treatment for making her live longer immediately done with given electrolyte liquid intravenously 10% glucose 0.9% NaCl, and given drug for releasing painful (analgesic and antipyretic) dellamidon^R besides antibiotic given to her.

But, every single things given to her, didn’t make any different and can not help her age any longer. After fallen down a few hours and can not woke up after three days gave birth, Mawar can not alive any more and she died. From necropsy finding found that Mawar suffer endometritis chronic.

After her mother died, Chyntia didn’t get colostrum any more. Most of the problems have been encountered in rearing newborn that received no colostrum.

Schmidt, 1989 at his reports said that one can accomplish colostrum by either of two methods:

By milking the mother in case of maternal rejection, by means of sedation and oxytocin injection and by feeding the colostrum obtained.

By collecting serum (not the mother serum because of isoantibodies) and by feeding the serum or administering it by S.Q. injection or both.

At Chyntia cases, when mother already died and didn’t have enough time for took her mother’s blood sample, using elephant blood sample from another female (which had been collected by TSI medical team) elephant can be given orally as an alternative above.

Calves that received colostrum and some days or weeks of natural nursing do much better and many two weeks old baby elephants have been successfully taken from their mother, shipped to United States and Europe and raise on variety of artificial formulas without too much difficulty (Schmidt, 1989). But, any references about hand raise elephant bellow than one week old do not find yet. Method for hand raising Chynthia were more ‘trial and error’. But hopefully, treatment about Chyntia is the valuable experience and can be useful as mention above.

There are several choices for elephants formula have proved successful. The easiest to use are human infant formulas and have been raised both species with good results. The advantages of human infant formula are a variety available, so that one ingredient can be substituted for another if the calf develops intolerance to a particulate ingredient e.g.: soy protein can be substituted for animal protein. Another reason is much easier for finding in many place.

Note

1: Mead Johnson

2: Nestle

From the table above, we can make rice-base formula for Chyntia, for changing mother’s colostrum. After 5 days old, bone meat added into her formula for making Calcium and Phosphorus ratio 1.4:1.

Unfortunately, none formula has proved 100% effective in rearing baby elephants and individual differences in tolerance to each formula will require some trial and error in formula adjustment (Schmidt, 1989).

Note: Cooked brown rice is brown rice which boiled as porridge, filtered and milked to

Chyntia, after two months old this porridge cooked brown rice will be put

together into the milk bottle

The best way to rear neonates of exotic hoofed stock is to let their mother care for them. Hand rearing is necessary for those infants who are weak, injured or neglected by their dams. Elephants spend between 12 and 19 hours per day feeding their children (Dierenfeld, 1993).

Hand rearing is justified in the case of the weak or neglected infant is the result of an abnormal environmental stress. Valid reason for hand rearing is to protect the infant from a known dangerous situation, such as in mixed exhibits in which a certain species as individual is aggressive toward the infant in question (Oosthhuis, 1993).

Note: Kcal : kilogram calorie

There were many opinions had been discussed before gave hand rearing for Chyntia, one of them was made an accurate formula for her. Ignorance from many persons who was in charge direct or indirectly made her in the strict observation. No one wanted her died followed the mother, until many ways did for saving her life.

The suitable milk formula for her stomach should be given beside economic factor is another consideration. Because of Enfamil milk expense a lot of money, there is another milk chosen which is cost not so expensive but still enough ingredients inside. There was Lactogen 2 had been chosen.

Normally elephants consume 10-15% from their body weight (Fowler, 1989), if Chyntia body weight 55 kg it means that she needs 5-7.5 liter water per day. At the first time, there was a problem for Chyntia drunk from bottle milk.

Amounts required and feeding schedules can vary among individual calves. Very young baby should be fed every two-three hours around the clock, as when the baby reaches age, night feeding gradually dropped (Schmidt, 1989).

Intensive care

Beside giving suitable milk formula, care about body condition, giving milk every two hours at 24 hours, recording is an important factor for handling Chyntia. Every keeper should record every single thing happened from Chyntia, the form filled in put close to Chyntia’s cage.

Careful records must be kept so that its genealogical records can be followed in order to correct at a later date any potential species weakening defects from becoming dominant. So, every single event from Chyntia can be observed every day. Chyntia moved from her big cage (when mother still alive) into special cage in TSI’s animal hospital. This is the easiest way for caring keeper monitor this little elephant.

As the calf reaches age two or three months, night feeding can gradually be dropped from the schedule and this is vary among individuals (Schmidt, 1989). But from the realty it did not take place to Chyntia due to she still need feeding every two hours until 7 months old of age.

The old rule "always leave them a little hungry", is an excellent one to follow because overfeeding is potentially far more harmful than slight underfeeding. Diarrhea in elephant calves that are being fed artificial formulas may be due to formula intolerance or to pathogenic bacteria, viruses also are possibility, but none has been identified as the cause of diarrhea in an elephant calf (Schidt, 1989).

Rice-based cooked formula as description above, gradually added more and more as the same age from Chyntia. Banana juice tried to given as a first introduction fruit when Chyntia age was 2 months old. When she was 3 months old, another fruit such as apple, carrot introduced into her menu, in spite of difficult for her at the first place swallowed that kind of food. The description about Chyntia gain body weight will be seen at the table bellow.

Intensive care and extra monitoring for protecting Chyntia from many kind of any negative possibility have been done day by day by many persons who handle this baby elephant. But, can not deny that she was free from many kind of diseases is not impossible things.

Diarrhea is a quite disease attacks her, this cases often found when she started tried swallowed sand, soil, or many kinds of things in front of her. Stomached like diarrhea is one of the many kinds endoparasite diseases that quite often attack elephant (Fowler, 1986), so the hygiene and sanitation from their environment should be keep clean every time.

From laboratory finding that Chyntia fecal sample found parasite protozoa Balantidium coli ssp. Balantidiosis cases showed by anorexia, lose of body weight, weakness, painful and stiff in muscle (Jostlin, 1993). Triebissen^R 48% with dose 140 mg/kg BW given for 5 days twice a day or Cotrimoxazole 140 mg/kg BW given for 4 days twice a day with Pharolit^R is a first treatment if this young elephant attack diarrhea, given for 5-7 days for stopping her diarrhea. Metronidazole 15 mg/kg BW with Cotrimoxazole 140 mg/kg BW for 4 days with Buscopan ^R 16 ml, Bekarbon^R, Kaopectate^R and multivitamin for stopping her diarrhea and avoid bloating in her stomach. Besides that, from laboratory finding ever been found protozoa ciliate, Trisulfa 20 tab given for 5-7 days twice a days, with Pharolit^R and Kaopectate^R had been given.

At the sixth month of her age, Chyntia started disliked stayed inside her room which measure 5x5 m² and always hit the door with her trunk. It was quite often found at night. It signed that she wanted to released from her small cage and needs another room. This activity (for hitting the door) quite often found until she broken the door until found a decision that she should be outside from her small room and put together with another elephants.

At the first place, many keepers disagreed and argued with this solution. They were worry that she will disrupt or annoyance another elephants, if she put together with them. Or another females that have children which the same age with Chyntia, will disturbed by her attendance. Another opinion was this is the first time made her put together with another elephants and the socialization did not happen yet before. But every doubtful with her introduction with another elephants did not happen. Chyntia can adaptation very good with another elephants, plays with them very well and still being friendly with every keeper and man that close with her before.

For identifying and recording, Chyntia have been given transponder number in her backside of her ear with series number 0001D1EFCB. For the next future if she already growing up and adult, where ever she has been, this transponder number can not disappear which can be read with scanner Trovan^R.

Elephant is the biggest herbivore in the biological classification, spread in Africa and Asia continent, which dividing into two species Elephas maximus for Asia elephant or Loxodonta africana for African elephant. Sumatran elephant Elephas maximus sumatrensis is the subspecies from Asian elephant which spread in whole of Sumatran island.

Distinguished features of elephant showed by sparsely haired skin, light, unpigmented spots, especially at the base of the trunk, ear margins, and shoulder with increasing age, and at birth the baby elephant has milk tusk about 2 in (5 cm) long (first pair of incisors); these loosen and come out at the age about one year, making way the permanent tusks, second pair of incisors (Grzimek, 1990).

With the gestation period average 20-22 months, 1 young per birth (rarely 2, extremely 3), and weighing 132-253 pounds (60-115 kg) make them a unique herbivore in the classification (Grzimek, 1990).

As one of the conservation ex-site department that chosen by Forestry Department, TSI has an effort for conserving wild animal that become endangered someday, from their habitat which become rare. Besides as one of the Indonesia Center of Reproduction of Endangered Wildlife (ICREW) that focused into endemic Indonesian animals, elephant is one of the priority from that endemic wild animal.

Captive breeding of elephant is one step from conservation ex-site program that help for breeding wild animal out side their habitat, elephant chose into wild animals protected by the government rule. But, from the reality there is many handicap happen toward that process. One of the main problem from that handicap is ignorance knowledge for breeding or any reproduction aspects out side their natural habitat.

Successful from breeding elephant is the fabulous thing that make happy many person among peoples who involved direct or indirectly. Many peoples doubtful for mating this animal, they can be amuck nobody can control them, and so on fortunately do not happen.

Birth of elephant in conservation ex-site, is the spectacular event especially if elephant who has a problem as this report. Hand rearing for many kid elephant already happen in Europe or America countries, but references about elephant before one week old because of something happen in the mother, do not find yet. Hopefully, every single thing can be useful for every person who need a references about this smart animal.

Acknowledgments

The writer supported and assisted by many persons. Tony Sumampau and Frans Manansang, Director of Taman Safari Indonesia supported the writer pursued finished this report.

A number of individuals in their areas of expertise. They are David Ware, Magdalena Widjaya, and Ida Masnur provided many data and advised along finished this report. A very special thanks to the elephant head keeper Murni Ibrahim and their elephants keeper whose name can not write person by person. Their suggestion and knowledge about their elephants were instrumental in the completion of this records.

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