Center of Elephant and Wildlife Research, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand; Master's Degree Program in Veterinary Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Center of Elephant and Wildlife Research, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand; Center for Species Survival, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Front Royal, VA, USA.
Anim Reprod Sci. 2020 Nov;222:106606. doi: 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2020.106606. Epub 2020 Sep 18.
In Thailand, many elephants are used in tourism, with populations sustained by breeding of animals that are in captive habitats. Even though there are programs to promote breeding, there is not success in all camps. In this study, there was summarization of reproductive performance data of 407 elephants (150 males, 257 females) at seven tourist camps based on 4-21 years of breeding records. Age pyramid structures for elephants varied among camps. Reproductive rates averaged 21.6 ± 6.17% and varied among camps (2.8-45.0%). Based on parity, 77.4% of elephants were nulliparous, 8.2% produced one calf, and 14.3% were multiparous, with there being camp differences. There were 1.10 ± 0.46 (range, 0.03-3.55) births per year, with a total of 19.6 ± 9.3 (1-71) calves per camp. Age at first calving was 19.2 ± 1.1 years (range, 8-40 years), mean inter-birth interval was 4.4 ± 0.2 years (range, 1.8-7.9 years), and average gestation length was 653.9 ± 6.9 days (range, 578-743 days). Rates of abortions/stillbirths averaged 12.4% and ranged from 3.5%-66.7%. There were no obvious differences in management (e.g., number of males, estrous detection methods, work activities) that when evaluated explained the range in breeding success, although lack of male interest in females was a common problem. While informative and useful for designing future studies, results of this study indicate there is a lack of precise breeding records that makes it difficult to evaluate effects of management practices on reproductive performance of captive elephants in Thailand.
在泰国，许多大象被用于旅游业，通过在圈养环境中繁殖动物来维持种群。尽管有促进繁殖的计划，但并非所有营地都取得了成功。在这项研究中，总结了七个旅游营地的 407 头大象（150 头雄性，257 头雌性）的繁殖性能数据，这些数据基于 4-21 年的繁殖记录。大象的年龄金字塔结构在各营地之间有所不同。繁殖率平均为 21.6±6.17%，各营地之间有所不同（2.8-45.0%）。根据胎次，77.4%的大象为初产，8.2%产一头小牛，14.3%为多产，各营地之间存在差异。每年每头大象产仔数为 1.10±0.46（范围为 0.03-3.55），每个营地的小牛总数为 19.6±9.3（1-71）。首次产仔年龄为 19.2±1.1 岁（范围为 8-40 岁），平均产仔间隔为 4.4±0.2 年（范围为 1.8-7.9 年），平均妊娠期为 653.9±6.9 天（范围为 578-743 天）。流产/死产率平均为 12.4%，范围为 3.5%-66.7%。虽然缺乏雄性对雌性的兴趣是一个常见的问题，但在管理方面（例如雄性数量、发情检测方法、工作活动）没有明显差异，评估后也没有发现这些差异可以解释繁殖成功率的差异。虽然本研究结果为未来的研究提供了有价值的信息，但由于缺乏精确的繁殖记录，使得难以评估管理实践对泰国圈养大象繁殖性能的影响。
