Young captive Asian elephants are dying due to the stress of being taken from their mothers to work in tourism

Asian elephant populations are under threat due to high death rates among calves that have been separated from their mothers to work, new research claims. Almost a third of Asian elephants are in captivity in countries like India, Myanmar and Thailand, mainly being used for tourism or labour. Scientists have concluded that population declines could be tackled if the health of baby elephants is prioritised. Elephants removed from the mother at a young age experience stress which may have a negative impact on survival, a new paper in The Royal Society Publishing said. The paper explains that mortality is highest in newborn elephants so addressing this process could make a difference in their survival rates. ‘Truly alarming’ decline The sustainability of captive elephant populations has relied on the stability of populations in the wild, with the latter now a protected species.

A joint research study between the University of Sheffield and the University of Turku, in Finland, working alongside The Myanma Timber Enterprise (MTE), investigated how trends in elephant capture from the wild influenced birth, death and population growth in 3,500 working elephants over 54 years. Professor Virpi Lummaa from the University of Turku, called the results “truly alarming”. He said that as elephants take a long time to grow and reproduce, their population number is extremely vulnerable to disturbances. Elephants have the longest gestation period of all mammals, carrying their young for nearly two years before giving birth. Suggested changes Elephants are separated from their mothers and trained for work around the age of four, which is often a very stressful experience. The researchers suggested improving welfare standards during their training period, and identifying pregnant females earlier to improve their welfare, so that both the calf and mother’s lives were improved overall. John Jackson, PhD researcher from the University of Sheffield’s Department of Animal and Plant Sciences and lead author of the paper, said: “Our model suggests we may see declines in captive elephants for up to 50 years so we must now work to ensure that the captive population is sustainable. “With so many Asian elephants in captivity, we must safeguard both captive and wild elephant populations and the people living and working alongside them for the future of the species.” Optimism for the future His hope is that an improvement in the survival rates of young Asian elephants could lead to a growth in the overall population. “This shows we can really make a difference by improving welfare for these vulnerable individuals in captivity,” he added. With so many people being given the chance to visit captive elephants while on holiday, Mr Jackson reiterated that everyone has a part to play in safeguarding the welfare of these animals, as this could have a positive effect on the global population. UK and elephants Last year, new legislation banning the sale of ivory in the UK was passed in the Commons as part of a nationwide effort to protect elephants for future generations. The ban will cover ivory items of all ages – not just those produced after a certain date – and comes after more than 70,000 people responded to a government consultation. The Ivory Act received royal assent in December 2018, and the Government has committed to implementing it in late 2019. Among those to campaign for the ban is the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), which has said ending the ivory trade is the only way to stop elephants from being killed.

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