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Endangered Asian Elephants Welcome Baby to Their Family ... On Dec. 11, 2007, "World News with Charles Gibson" correspondent Nick Watt introduced us to the World Wildlife Fund's Flying Squad a group of five trained elephants that are working to help save the endangered Asian elephants in Tesso Nilo National Park in central Sumatra ... Wild Asian elephants and coffee beans had become unlikely competitors in this rapidly shrinking wilderness. (ABC News)
FACTBOX-How do you domesticate an elephant? Dec 24, 2007
Dec 24 (Reuters) -- Unlie African elephants, wild Asian elephants have been hunted, captured, and trained for use in war, commerce and transport for around 4,000 years in countries such as Thailand. Today about a thousand tamed Thai elephants work in the modern tourist trade, while three thousand endangered wild elephants remain in the country's forests. (AlertNet)
Elephants get some more space Dec 22, 2007
Earlier, speaking at a workshop on Securing elephant corridors for long-term conservation of Asian elephants in India , Executive Director of Wildlife Trust Vivek Menon said it took some time to convince conservationists to invest money in India where availability of land is scarce. The Trust has been successful in offering a better deal to people, including tribes, who have been displaced from the forest. (Hindu)
Wildlife Corridor Gives Endangered Elephants In India Passage Between Reserves Dec 21, 2007
Vivek Menon, Executive Director of WTI and elephant biologist, said: "This is a great step forward for elephant conservation in India, and a model I hope other wildlife groups will follow. One of the greatest threats facing Asian elephants today is the shrinking and fragmentation of their habitat. Protecting corridors that link these "inland islands" is vital to ensuring the species survival." ... Today, there are approximately 35,000 to 45,000 Asian elephants remaining in the wild ... 21, 2005)... (Science Daily)
Indian 'elephant corridor' scheme Dec 20, 2007
India contains large numbers of Asian elephants ... "One of the greatest threats facing Asian elephants today is the shrinking and fragmentation of their habitat.". (BBC News -- South Asia)
GORE-TEX(R) Hong Kong Team Comes to The Rescue of Zoo Elephants in Need of Special Shoes Dec 17, 2007
HONG KONG, Dec. 16 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- The GORE-TEX(R) Hong Kong team came to the rescue of two of Singapore Zoo's Asian elephants in need of special footwear. The intensive year-long effort by the zoo and W. L. Gore iates, creators of the legendary GORE-TEX(R) fabric, recently culminated in the elephants being presented with comfortable yet protective footwear to help with their ongoing foot problems. (PR Newswire)
* ART JOURNAL: Public affairs Dec 6, 2007
The museum currently features a special exhibit, A New Experience of Life Science, and displays toothed whales, baleen whales and Asian elephants - all accompanied by the sounds made by these giants. A bronze statue of a farmer points the way to the Agricultural Exhibition Hall. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
World's Biggest Asian Elephant Missing In Nepal Dec 6, 2007
There are about 250 Asian elephants -- an endangered species -- in the Himalayan nation, about 100 of them are domesticated and used for elephant polo and safaris in national parks. (Reporting by Gopal Sharma; Editing by Jonathan Allen). (Planet Ark, United States)
World's Largest Asian Elephant Missing, Feared Dead Dec 5, 2007
The giant bull is the national park's main attraction, though it does feature several other species as well as one of the last remaining wild herds of Asian elephants in the world ... Asian elephants, with about 60,000 living individuals both wild and domesticated, are far outnumbered by their larger African cousins and are considered an endangered species. (Fox News)
Zoo Atlanta elephant expecting -- in '09 Nov 20, 2007
There are almost 300 African and Asian elephants on display at North American zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Of that number, 151 are African elephants. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Conference on Elephant Tuberculosis Research Establishes Action Plan at International Symposium on Elephant Conservation Nov 13, 2007
In 2005, IEF and the Houston Zoo initiated an Endotheliotropic Elephant Herpesvirus (EEHV) workshop to bring together medical and veterinary experts to find a means to diagnose, treat and prevent EEHV, perhaps the single greatest health threat to the Asian elephants in human care ... IEF funds specifically support the protection of African and Asian elephants in the wild, the protection of elephant habitats, scientific research, educational efforts, and improvement in captive elephant care. (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
Maggie ours no more Nov 3, 2007
The sanctuary houses Asian elephants as well, but co-founder and president of PAWS Pat Derby says they are much older than the Africans: "To put those two together would sort of be like sending a street gang into the senior center.". From a PAWS handler who has spent the last three weeks with Maggie, Derby expects Maggie to be a little ornery. (Anchorage Daily News)
Endangered tigers found in Indonesian jungle allocated to agriculture Nov 1, 2007
Using camera traps, they took pictures of an entire family of Asian elephants, a species currently classified as endangered by the World Conservation Union's Red List - fewer than 50,000 of these animals are left in the wild and they are at risk from the illegal trade in ivory. The team also found evidence of the Sumatran tiger, classified as critically endangered. (Yahoo News -- Environment & Nature)
Social Standing Influences Elephant Movement Oct 31, 2007
30, 2007) When resources are scarce, who you know and where you're positioned on the social totem pole affects how far you'll go to search for food. At least that's the case with African elephants, according to a study led by ecologists at the University of California, Berkeley, who collaborated with researchers at Save the Elephants, a non-profit research organization based in Kenya, and at the University of Oxford in England. (Science Daily)
A lot of hopes riding on this big bird Oct 26, 2007
Airbus has said that its giant jet could accommodate 35 million ping-pong balls or 57 Asian elephants. But it is other features, in particular the fact that it costs 20 per cent less per seat to operate than a 747, that has airlines excited. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
Six elephants die after 'stampeding into electricity pylons' Oct 24, 2007
The north-east of India contains large numbers of Asian elephants ... North-east India falls in the great elephant corridor that stretches from northern Thailand to the foothills of Bhutan - a corridor used by hordes of Asian elephants to move back and forth in search of food. (BBC News -- Science)
Elephants Tell Human Friends From Foes By Scent And Clothing Color Oct 23, 2007
22, 2007) Elephants are remarkably perceptive when it comes to recognizing specific ethnic groups of people that vary in the degree of danger they are likely to pose, reveals a new study published online on October 18th by Current Biology, a Cell Press publication. Elephants in Kenya reacted with greater fear when they detected the scent of garments previously worn by Maasai warriors than by Kamba men, the researchers reported. (Science Daily)
Animal instinct isn't everything Oct 11, 2007
Similarly, researchers documented an African elephant, living with Asian elephants, that mimicked the higher-pitched, chirp-like sounds of his Far Eastern zoomates. While elephant culture probably doesn't place a high value on truck impersonation or cross-cultural karaoke in the wild, it's likely that elephants learn vocalizations from each other, and it's possible that elephants from different regions even have local dialects. (CNN -- Tech)
Two elephants and a ton of controversy Oct 5, 2007
Tina and Jewel are rare Asian elephants. With fewer than 50,000 and remaining in the wild, they are an endangered species and share the Leggett property with a third elephant named Boo when she s not on the road with handler, Will Davenport. (KHOU.com, TX)
Oregon Zoo elephant has a baby on the way Oct 2, 2007 Map: Biodiversity hotspots Sep 13, 2007 Circus Coming To City Sep 6, 2007 Recall of the wild Aug 31, 2007 Ringling Brothers Will Stand Trial for Elephant Abuse Aug 24, 2007 Lawsuit Against Circus Cleared For Trial Aug 24, 2007 Circus stars to defy gravity at Gwinnett Arena Aug 19, 2007 Wild elephants get photo IDs Aug 18, 2007 Male elephants get 'photo IDs' from scientists Aug 16, 2007 What's up at Midwest zoos? Aug 12, 2007 Shrinking habitat threatens Borneo pygmy elephant Aug 10, 2007 Imperilled pachyderm Aug 10, 2007 Study cites threats to pygmy elephants Aug 9, 2007 Activists: Pygmy elephants in decline Aug 9, 2007 Satellite tracking reveals threats to Borneo pygmy elephants Aug 9, 2007 Back To The Future: Mastodon Extends The Time Limit On DNA Sequencing Jul 31, 2007 Anne: last of the circus elephants all alone at 54 Jul 29, 2007 Rogue Elephants Shot After Killing Eight in India Jul 27, 2007 Camera-shy Deer Caught For First Time Jul 26, 2007 Elephants, Human Ancestors Evolved in Synch, DNA Reveals Jul 25, 2007 Science makes DNA breakthrough in the tooth Jul 24, 2007 Mastodon DNA sequenced Jul 24, 2007 Elephants benefit from fight between zoos and activists Jul 22, 2007 Hi ... we found an elephant Jul 15, 2007 Escaped elephants corralled Jul 14, 2007 Zoo: Unknown Herpes Virus Kills Elephant Jul 3, 2007 Pachyderms parade in Phoenix Jun 27, 2007 Beastly business: zoos under the microscope Jun 23, 2007 I-Team: Circus Sued For Alleged Abuse of Asian Elephants Jun 22, 2007 1 comment(s) Elephant euthanized at Wild Animal Park Jun 20, 2007 On the brink: the case for zoos Jun 20, 2007 Wild Animal Park Elephant Euthanized Due To Disease Jun 20, 2007 Cuts to lions' diet and $50 charge to feed them Jun 18, 2007 Ten plan trip to Thailand Jun 16, 2007 Take the Kids: Picnic with the pachyderms and the kids today Jun 15, 2007 Rare Nepal elephants have TB Jun 12, 2007 Rare Nepal Elephants Suffer From Tuberculosis Jun 12, 2007 Watch Thayne Maynard on FOX19 Morning News & Enter to Win Zoo Tickets Jun 10, 2007 Beloved elephant dies at Seattle zoo Jun 9, 2007 Full Story » Jun 7, 2007 Alarming Rise in Ivory Trafficking Jun 4, 2007 When I see an elephant...paint? Jun 2, 2007 Your food or my tusks! Elephant robs motorists May 30, 2007 Perth Zoo puts down sick elephant May 14, 2007 Life is a carnival Apr 27, 2007 Reducing Stress For Captive Monkeys Apr 19, 2007 Circus at Star Center aims to turn your world upside down Apr 15, 2007 Elephants taking over the Tulsa Zoo Apr 14, 2007 Elephant Chawang's sperm count good Apr 12, 2007 Bollywood Stars Line-Up to Stop Animal Cruelty Apr 12, 2007 How sweet it isn't: up go chockies Apr 7, 2007 Study: Dinosaur demise didn't spur species Mar 29, 2007 Prehistoric exhibit coming to G.WIZ Mar 29, 2007 Juno And Savannah To Stay Mar 28, 2007 Will Zoo Elephants Stay Or Go? Mar 27, 2007 Reader's Alley Mar 18, 2007 L.A. Zoo to retire elephant to sanctuary Mar 12, 2007 Ruby, The Elephant, Packing Her Trunk, Retiring Mar 12, 2007 Animals to wash in recycled water Mar 11, 2007 Zoos may buy Arkansas elephant sanctuary Mar 9, 2007 Thailand claims first elephant birth in Asia using artificial insemination Mar 8, 2007 PAWS awaits new arrivals Mar 7, 2007 Thailand fights to save elephants Mar 2, 2007 Elephant is big basketball star AN elephant slam dunks a basketball through a hoop - at a talented jumbos home Feb 23, 2007 Elephant House now tops zoo projects Feb 16, 2007
There is a 40 percent infant mortality rate among captive Asian elephants ... An endangered species, Asian elephants are represented by an estimated 38,000 to 51,000 individuals living in fragmented populations in the wild ... Agriculture, deforestation and conflict with humans pose a constant threat to wild Asian elephants. (KGW Northwest NewsChannel 8, OR)
Maggie's bound for California elephant refuge Sep 15, 2007
It has four African and five Asian elephants -- though the species are kept segregated -- and has successfully relocated six elephants in the past three years. Earlier this week, Maggie was examined by an elephant expert from the San Diego Wildlife Park and was found to be in good health and ready to travel, Lampi said. (Anchorage Daily News)
Important populations of Asian elephants, Indian tigers, and the endangered lion-tailed macaque are threatened as agriculture and logging intensify. Indonesia. (BBC News -- Science)
Along with these performers, 8,000 pound Asian elephants will perform tricks and tasks for the audience. All of the elephants were born in the wild and been trained since the age of three. (Fredericksburg Standard Radio Post, TX)
BigStockPhoto and file photos Asian elephants are more closely related to North American mammoths than they are to African elephants ... Extant African and Asian elephants are reasonable surrogates for vanished mammoth species, Donlan said. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
WASHINGTON, Aug. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, Judge Emmet Sullivan of the federal district court in Washington D.C. issued a major ruling rejecting the last-ditch attempt of Ringling Brothers and Barnum y Circus to avoid trial over charges that the circus abuses its Asian elephants in violation of the federal Endangered Species Act ... -- February 2003 - A unanimous panel of the federal appeals court in the District of Columbia finds that the plaintiffs have standing to sue Ringling... (PR Newswire)
possession when Asian elephants were included in the Endangered Species Act in 1976. "The ruling dramatically narrowed the issues in the suit ... and validates the importance of our breeding program," said Stephen Payne, a spokesman for Ringling Bros. (CBS News -- US)
But before white tigers, Asian elephants, clowns and stuntmen take the ring, head out for the free all-access pre-show to meet and greet animals and performers, try out a few stunts yourself, and get a taste of the action before the show even starts. Ringmaster Jason Gibson says watching the pros perform the trapeze act always gets him going. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Metro)
The project focused on male elephants because "unlike African elephants, where both males and females have tusks, only male Asian elephants have valuable tusks, so they are specifically targeted by poachers," said WCS researcher Varun Goswami, the main author of the study ... "The rigor of this technique can help us achieve real conservation success with the Asian elephants, which are threatened across their 13-country range," said Dr. Ullas Karanth, a co-author of the study. (The Advocate)
Identifying male Asian elephants by unique features will help monitor threats. Asian elephants dont carry photo identification, so scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society and Indias Nature Conservation Foundation are providing the service free of charge by creating a photographic archive of individual elephants, which can help save them as well ... Unlike African elephants where both males and females have tusks, only male Asian elephants have valuable tusks, so they are specifically... (EurekAlert!)
Asian elephants, giraffes, hippos, hyenas, black rhino. Gorillas, large family of chimpanzees. (La Crosse Tribune, WI)
A study by the World Wide Fund for Nature suggests that there are probably no more than 1,000 left - far fewer than the previous estimate of 1,600 for the pygmies, which are up to 1 meter, or about 3 feet, shorter than other Asian elephants ... But in 2003, a DNA analysis proved they were a distinct subspecies of Asian elephants, which triggered a new effort to conserve them ... The pygmy differs from other Asian elephants by being more rotund, having straighter tusks and a long tail that... (International Herald Tribune)
Pygmy elephants are smaller and less aggressive than other Asian elephants, with shorter trunks and smaller faces that give them a rotund appearance. They are also genetically different, and never seem to have spread beyond the northeast part of Borneo to other areas of the Southeast Asian island, scientists say. (Globe and Mail -- International)
Very little was known about pygmy elephants until a chance DNA analysis in 2003 revealed them to be a distinct subspecies of Asian elephants, which triggered a new effort to conserve them. In June 2005, the WWF set in motion a landmark project to track pygmy elephants in the rain forests of Sabah by placing collars fitted with transmitters around the necks of five elephants, known to be leaders of their herds. (Boston Globe)
Very little was known about pygmy elephants until a chance DNA analysis in 2003 revealed them to be a distinct subspecies of Asian elephants, which triggered a new effort to conserve them ... Adult pygmy elephants stand up to 8 feet tall a foot or two shorter than mainland Asian elephants. (MSNBC -- Environment)
This study, the largest using satellite collars ever attempted on Asian elephants, suggests that pygmy elephants prefer lowland forests because there is more food of better quality on fertile lowland soils ... Pygmy elephants are said to be smaller, chubbier and more gentle-natured than other Asian elephants. (EurekAlert!)
Using the mitochondrial genome sequence, together with sequences from two African elephants, two Asian elephants, and two woolly mammoths (obtained from previous work), it was shown that mammoths are more closely related to Asian than to African elephants ... Moreover, the researchers used the mastodon data as a calibration point, lying outside the Elephantidae radiation (elephants and mammoths), which enabled them to estimate accurately the time of divergence of African elephants from Asian... (Science Daily)
Forty years ago Anne was one of many Asian elephants working in circuses across the country. Along with clowns, acrobats and trapeze artists, exotic animals were among the most popular circus acts for audiences seeking the thrill of live variety entertainment. (Guardian Unlimited -- UK)
Elephants are a protected and endangered species in India, which has nearly half of the world's 60,000 Asian elephants. Conservationists say elephant populations have fallen rapidly in recent years because of loss of habitat as a result of human encroachment into forest areas. (Planet Ark, United States)
Nakai-Nam Theun is home to several other endangered animals, such as the extremely rare saola -- an antelope-like animal, also discovered in the 1990s and known only from the Annamites -- plus tigers, Asian elephants, and what is considered one of the world's most beautiful monkeys, the red-shanked douc. Recent surveys identified what are thought to be more new species of animals and plants, but this awaits verification. (Science Daily)
Mammoths and Asian elephants speciated around 6. 7 million years ago, roughly the same time humans and chimps split. (National Geographic)
Using the mastodon s mitochondrial genome sequence, together with sequences from two African elephants, two Asian elephants, and two fossil woolly mammoths, it was shown that mammoths are more closely related to Asian than to African elephants, said Michael Hofreiter, a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, who led the research. This shows the power of genetic data to clarify relationships. (Times Online)
Scientists have been unable to agree how the Asian elephants, African elephants and woolly mammoths are related ... But a family tree based on the DNA of elephants, mammoth and mastodon shows that Asian elephants are more closely related to mammoths than they are to African elephants ... The mastodon sequence also enabled the team to estimate that the African elephants split from Asian elephants and mammoths about 7. (Nature News Service)
A study of captive elephants published in Zoo Biology reported the life expectancy of North American Asian elephants at 35. 9 years and 33 years for African elephants in zoos. (North County Times)
The three Asian elephants, Susie, Bunny and Minnie, have a compound set up in the parking lot, where they are cared for by trainer Billy Morris. Morris said someone seems to have tripped over the power cord to the fence after he checked on the elephants just before 2:30 a.m.. (Toronto Star)
Circus had set up a compound for the three Asian elephants, Susie, Bunny, and Minnie, in a parking lot. Trainer Billy Morris said someone seems to have tripped over the power cord to the fence after he checked on the elephants just before 2:30 a.m. The next thing I knew, the cops came to get me, Morris said. (Fort Frances Times)
Previously, scientists had identified two other types of herpes virus in wild and captive African and Asian elephants ... There have been 21 known cases of herpes viruses involving Asian elephants in North America. (Forbes)
But in reality, how else are you going to get a herd of Asian elephants, which can weigh up to 11,000 pounds, to the show. A small crowd of elephant lovers, circus devotees, and passers-by stopped to watch at noon as the massive animals stepped gingerly from the trains and into the brilliant sunshine and brutal heat. (AZCentral -- News)
But it was the controversy over the import of five Asian elephants last year that convinced him to hand in his Zoo Friends membership. Like many of the zoo's recent critics, Sims believes the $50 million exercise placed commercialism over the elephants' needs. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
The group is specifically concerned with the treatment of Asian elephants ... They say, in particular, the treatment of the Asian elephants by circus employees is appalling and they want the elephants removed from the show ... Until then, Tom Rider will continue to keep a close eye on the circus, and it's endangered Asian elephants. (KLAS-TV.com, NV)
There are an estimated 25,600 to 32,750 Asian elephants in the wild and about 15,000 in captivity around the world, according to the multinational conservation organization World Wildlife Fund. Asian elephants can live to be 60 years old in the wild and can live to be 80 years old in captivity ... There the animal lived with five other Asian elephants, including one bull. (North County Times)
Taronga Zoo faced two years of concerted opposition when it recently sought to bring five surplus Asian elephants from work camps in Thailand - where they lived chained to the ground in crowded groups - into specialised facilities to take part in a conservation breeding program for their species. Further opposition to the zoo's elephant program surfaced in recent days as part of a barrage of criticism from anti-zoo groups. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
The Wild Animal Park is home to five other Asian elephants. "We recognize that Carol will be sorely missed by the caring staff and visitors who had seen her at both the Wild Animal Park and the San Diego Zoo," the zoo's statement read. (TheSanDiegoChannel.com, CA)
Mr Hancocks cited Mr Cooper's attempts to reintroduce elephant rides at Taronga as a "most glaring example", along with management's decision to keep the new batch of Asian elephants in a confined space at Taronga Zoo where they would attract maximum revenue, rather than moving them to Western Plains Zoo, where they would have adequate room to roam. Responding to last week's allegations of commercialisation and mismanagement resulting in unnecessary animal suffering and death, Mr Cooper said the... (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
They will also see Asian elephants at work in the area, Allan added, ut the elephants won't be helping with our building project. The building team will meet a few more times before they leave on July 27. (Sault Ste Marie Evening News, MI)
are treated to their meal, children will learn more about Asian elephants -- including what they eat and how they are cared for. Pack up the picnic basket, grab a blanket and join the circus animals for a picnic your little one is sure to remember. (Pensacola News Journal)
Park authorities said tests had confirmed at least 10 of 100 domesticated Asian elephants in Chitwan had contracted the disease in the past two years. "Tests have confirmed that the elephants have tested positive for TB and we are trying to provide treatment," Kamal Gaire, a senior veterinary official, said by phone from Chitwan, 80 km south of Kathmandu. (Globe and Mail -- International)
Park authorities said tests had confirmed at least 10 of 100 domesticated Asian elephants in Chitwan had contracted the disease in the past two years. "Tests have confirmed that the elephants have tested positive for TB and we are trying to provide treatment," Kamal Gaire, a senior veterinary official, said by phone from Chitwan, 80 km (50 miles) south of Kathmandu. (Planet Ark, United States)
Everything from polar bears and Sumatran rhinos to Asian elephants and Mexican wolves will be featured several times daily throughout the park. Do the Zoo. (FOX19.com, OH)
Asian elephants, which are endangered, typically live about 45 years, according to the zoos Web site. Animal rights groups said Hansas death is further evidence that the zoo is too small for elephants. (MSNBC -- Technology)
The quality of the space matters more than the quantity, Leeds said, and social groupings of Asian elephants are slightly less structured than that of African elephants. The major pull from the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, he said, is to ensure elephant grounds can accommodate bull, or male, elephants. (Boulder Colorado Daily, CO)
Conservationists say poaching of African and Asian elephants is escalating, and urge greater regulation and enforcement in international and domestic markets ... "We will work to ensure that Asian elephants are considered," he said, urging "enhanced law enforcement" and "better compliance with CITES requirements for trade control and reporting of illegal activities." Asian elephants are particularly at risk because their ivory is prized for its hardness. (allAfrica.com)
They would teach retired elephants to paint -- something that others had tried with success in the past -- and the resulting artwork would raise money and awareness of the plight of Asian elephants, whose numbers are declining at an alarming rate. Now, the , a charity organization based in New York City, founded by Komar and Melamid, has created an international market for elephant art, and auctioned elephant paintings at Christie's. (The Scientist)
Elephants are a protected and endangered species in India, which has nearly half of the world's 60,000 Asian elephants. But conservationists say its population has fallen rapidly in recent years because of loss of habitat as a result of human encroachment into forest areas. (Yahoo News)
Teduh arrived in Perth in 1992 and was the most active of the Zoo's three female Asian Elephants. ABC Top Stories. (ABC News Online, Australia -- Just In)
Number of Asian elephants performing in the circus: 7 ... Mike Hayward might be one of only a few hundred people in the world whose job description includes "pachyderm pedicures" -- not to mention the feeding, bathing, training and exercise of the seven Asian elephants who will be performing in Albany with Ringling Bros. (Albany Times Union)
The money given as part of the award, 1,000, will be used to conduct further research into animal welfare at Chester Zoo, such as the effects of swinging poles for the Bornean and Sumatran orang-utans in the new Realm of the Red Ape enclosure, or automated feeding devices for Asian elephants and orang-utans. The way automated feeders are designed can make the animals forage for their food as they would in the wild, vary the way food is presented to them and removes the link between food and... (Science Daily)
audiences will meet the world-famous animal family, including two lovable Asian elephants, witness the majestic bond between Sylvia Zerbini and her Arabian and Andalusian horses, and be awe-inspired by Gail Mirabella's high-flying canine companions and their freestyle acrobatics. The free all-access pre-show allows audience members a chance to mingle with daredevils and acrobats, collect performers' autographs and get a glimpse of Ringling Bros. (Rio Rancho Observer, NM)
Zookeepers will interact a couple of the Asian elephants at the elephant expansion yard. The grand opening for the expansion is Saturday. (FOX23.com, OK)
Zoos in Australia, like the one in Perth, have shown interest in taking samples of Chawang's semen to impregnate their female Asian elephants. But no plans have been confirmed yet. (Channel NewsAsia, Singapore)
Elephants are a protected and endangered species in India, which has nearly half of the world's 60,000 Asian elephants, but activists say more than 3,500 elephants remain in captivity in the country. Story by Nita Bhalla. (Planet Ark, United States)
Airbus failed to provide any comparisons on the jet as it has on previous occasions, suggesting it has given up on its plans to fill an A380 with 35 million ping-pong balls and 57 fully grown Asian elephants. However, Reflux is concerned the aircraft maker's first A380 customer has thrown up some new comparisons that could delay the planned October delivery of the first superjumbo. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Business)
A small mammal known as a Cape hyrax looks like a rodent, but is actually a closer relative to African and Asian elephants. The common ancestor of elephants and hyraxes lived 83 million years ago, long before the dinosaurs died out. (MSNBC -- Technology)
A Some scientists think that woolly mammoths were genetically similar enough to Asian elephants that the two species could produce an offspring. Some scientists think it might be possible to clone mammoths from the genetic material found in Siberia. (Herald-Tribune)
On Tuesday, the new zoo director, Steve Marshall, told city council the zoo is fit to have two Asian elephants in its collection and it should continue to be involved with elephants in the future. He even said he's working on getting a third elephant. (KFOXTV.com, TX)
March 26, 2007 -- The Asian elephants Juno and Savannah are the reasons why a lot of people visit the El Paso Zoo. The elephants are one of the main attractions but one that's been controversial for the last two years. (KFOXTV.com, TX)
This circus uses Asian elephants taken from the wild as babies. Their lives are almost certain to consist of leg chains, hours of lonely confinement in trailers and intimidation. (Helena Independent Record)
In fact, the zoo has embarked on an ambitious, $39-million capital project to build a new pachyderm habitat that is expected to be devoted to keeping and breeding Asian elephants. Ruby came to the L.A. Zoo from Circus Vargas in 1987, but was sent off to Tennessee's Knoxville Zoo in 2003 to serve as a maternal example to other elephants. (Los Angeles Times)
Ruby is an African elephant, while the zoo is constructing a new exhibit for Asian elephants, which it plans to breed. Ruby has lived alone since the death of her companion Gita in 2006, even though elephants are highly social and should never live alone, according to IDA.. (CBS2.com, CA)
But now animals at Taronga Zoo, including the new Asian elephants, are to become better water savers under plans to increase the amount of recycled water they use ... Zoo director and chief executive Guy Cooper said among the biggest users of recycled water would be the Asian elephants. (Sydney Morning Herald)
Only 30,000 Asian elephants remain in the wild. Elephant center board members hope to begin operating it by this summer. (Herald Online, SC -- Health)
Asian elephants are an endangered species, with only between 34,000 to 54,000 believed to be alive in the wild, according to scientists ... That would give them greater flexibility in their efforts to increase the population of Asian elephants, he said. (International Herald Tribune)
Posted: Tuesday, March 6, 2007 12:05 PM CST Representatives of the Performing Animal Welfare Society and a company that has supplied elephants to several circuses in the country have come to an agreement that will eventually see two more Asian elephants come to the ARK 2000 sanctuary in Calaveras County. Simply shipping the pair from a farm in Illinois to the San Andreas facility won't happen anytime soon because one of the pachyderms is a male. (San Andreas Calaveras Enterprise, CA)
Her pregnancy one of only seven successful inseminations of Asian elephants worldwide reflects a surge of new research and investment aimed at protecting an iconic animal that is closer to extinction than scientists previously thought ... For 4,000 years, Asian elephants have been tapped to carry soldiers into battle, drag logs and for religious ceremonies and entertainment. (FOX59, IN)
The country has just 4,000 Asian elephants left down from 50,000 half a century ago. But, like this animal, that could just be a ballpark figure. (The Sun Newspaper Online, UK -- News)
Late last year, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums mandated that the landmark 1912 facility, which houses three female Asian elephants, be brought into compliance with current elephant care standards. That meant increasing the holding area to 1,200 square feet. (Buffalo News)
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