Heartbroken San Diego zoo staff euthanized an Asian elephant after age-related joint deficiencies began affecting her quality of life. The 59-year-old geriatric elephant, named Mary, was put down compassionately after the decision to do so was made by her health and care specialists following a ‘decline’ in her mobility. The ‘uniquely dominant’ but ‘gentle’ pachyderm, […]
Tag: African elephant
Utah’s Hogle Zoo to End its Controversial Elephant Program, Much to the Delight of Activists
Utah’s Hogle Zoo made an announcement saying that it would be relocating the last two elephants in its care for “the best chance to have a calf in the important social dynamic of a multigenerational herd.” The zoo’s remaining elephants, mother Christie, 36, and daughter Zuri, 13, will be going to an as-of-yet undisclosed facility. […]
Ailing Pakistan elephant dies, leaving ‘mourning’ partner in limbo
An ailing elephant at a Pakistan zoo died on Saturday, vets said, calling on the ill-equipped menagerie to evacuate her “mourning” partner to avert a second tragedy. Pakistan’s zoos are frequently accused of being blase about animal welfare, and the plight of Noor Jehan was cited by animal rights activists campaigning to shut the wildlife […]
Pachyderm perfume: How African elephants use odor to communicate
University of Queensland researchers have found African elephants use their acute sense of smell as a form of communication. Professor Louw Hoffman from UQ’s Queensland Alliance of Agriculture and Food Innovation co-led a study of elephants in wildlife parks in Malawi, which found that smell was used to distinguish characteristics including age, health, reproductive status […]
Trophy Hunting Contributes to The Plight Of Threatened African Elephants And Could Soon Drive Them Extinct
African elephants are majestic creatures that have roamed the continent for millions of years. Unfortunately, their existence is now threatened due to human activities such as poaching, habitat loss, and trophy hunting, the World Wildlife Fund reports. Despite efforts to conserve and protect these magnificent animals, the United States continues to import trophies from African […]
Population cycles explain white-lipped peccary’s ups and downs, study shows
Scientists say they have solved the mystery behind the periodic disappearance and reappearance of the white-lipped peccary (Tayassu pecari) across huge areas of central and South America. A new study suggests that white-lipped peccary populations become so big that they over-shoot their resources, which weakens the animals and makes them more vulnerable to disease and […]
Inside African wildlife park where animals are being slaughtered for ‘cures’
Piled high in a mountain of pain, these are the poachers’ traps laid to kill wildlife. In the last four years more than 35,000 snares, wires and spears have been confiscated from just one African wildlife park – more per square mile than anywhere else in the world. At this critical time for the planet’s […]
In Nepal, officials defend detusking to reduce human-elephant conflict
KATHMANDU — On the afternoon of Oct. 28, a wild male elephant attacked and killed a woman herding her sheep at a pasture in the town of Amlekhgunj, in the buffer zone of Parsa National Park in southern Nepal. The death of Rukaiya Khatun, 51, made headlines in news media across the country, and prompted […]