Houston's Baby Elephant set-back - 2nd update

I'm glad to know that the research done on rod-and-screw fracture repair in humans can be used for Bella.

Having broken several femurs myself, I'm impressed that Methai could convince Bella to stand on the fractured leg.

That little elephant has a rough road ahead, but at least good doctors.

If she wasn't raised on mama's milk, she may have a calcium deficiency.

With luck the vets are giving her jumbo Tums and letting her walk in the sunshine.

The elephant died this morning.

Asian elephant? Perhaps she's earned reincarnation?

The work they did on her came undone and they felt it was too much on her to try again with the odds so against survival. She was euthanized.

Poor baby.

Oh no.

:-(

Bella's mom is expecting new calf
Critics doubt a baby's chances; zoo says she'll be more maternal
By SALATHEIA BRYANT
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

Chronicle file photo
The Houston Zoo's Shanti is expecting once again.
Shanti, the Houston Zoo's reluctant mother, is pregnant again.


The Asian elephant who gave birth to baby Bella last August is expected to have her second calf in late 2006.

The pregnancy may have occurred outside the breeding protocol to which members of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, or AZA, must adhere. The zoo first should have sought a recommendation for this second birth, according to the chairman of the advisory committee overseeing the group's elephant species survival plan.

"We're pleased that Shanti is pregnant again," the AZA's Mike Keele said. "I wish they had followed the procedure prior to breeding. The fact that they didn't follow the procedure is not a good thing. We still would have liked to have had the conversation."

Keele said the committee likely would have granted a favorable recommendation because Shanti is viewed as a good candidate for motherhood.

"This doesn't happen that often. I believe they made an honest mistake," he said. "I think they believe they were following the recommendations as they perceived them."

But zoo officials said they didn't need a new recommendation since Shanti came to Houston in 2001 with a recommendation to breed.

"We were operating under the previous recommendation, which gave us the green light. Shanti was specially brought here to breed," said Sharon Joseph, the zoo's director of animal programs.

Shanti, who was born at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, gave birth in August to Bella. However, the new mother rejected the calf by not allowing her to nurse. The newborn had to be hand-fed.

Bella was euthanized last week after fracturing her right rear femur in a fall.

From 1950 through 2004, 30 African elephants were born in AZA facilities; 17 survived. During that same time period, 87 Asian elephants were born in AZA facilities; 36 died in infancy.

As part of its contract with the city, the Houston Zoo is required to maintain accreditation with the AZA. Zoos in the system follow breeding guidelines to control numbers because of space and to help maintain genetic diversity.

A series of blood samples was used to confirm Shanti's pregnancy about a month ago, zoo officials said. It appears Shanti conceived last November.

Her pregnancy ?- in its first trimester ?- should last about 660 days. Shanti has gained about 75 pounds, and zoo officials have every reason to think she will bring the baby to term, Joseph said.

The Houston Zoo has continued its elephant breeding program despite a number of deaths from an elephant herpes virus. In the past 15 years, five elephants born at the zoo have died of the virus. The most recent was Kimba, a 13-year-old who died last September after showing symptoms of the herpes virus.

News of Shanti's pregnancy upset Nicole Meyer, an elephant specialist with the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. She questioned Bella's nutritional health since the calf was unable to nurse.

"The Houston Zoo is willing to risk the life of another baby. It's like playing Russian roulette," Meyer said. "They are going to breed these elephants again until they find success. The elephant has already rejected one elephant, and while this is going on, they impregnate her again."

But Keele and Joseph said Shanti stands a better chance at motherhood this time.

"We expect she will be further along on the learning curve. A lot of parenting skills are learned," Joseph said. "We've got that in our favor. We think the experience with the calf will end up being beneficial."

Joseph said handlers may try using a large ball to get Shanti used to how it might feel having a baby near her.

"Shanti was born in captivity. This was her first offspring. It's worth giving her another chance," Keele said.

The zoo also has allowed Thai, its bull, to breed with Methai, a 37-year-old elephant who has some arthritis and had to step in as a surrogate mother to Bella. Joseph said that although Thai was with Methai in September, recent blood tests do not indicate that she is pregnant. Joseph said that in light of Shanti's pregnancy, zoo officials have not determined whether they will continue to allow Thai and Methai to breed. Despite Methai's age, Joseph said the elephant can successfully carry a calf to term.



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oooooh, that's so sad - about the baby being euthanized.

Personally I think the zoo keepers have more accurate information than PETA.

I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Yeah - I hope thay know what they are doing.

Edgar--

From what I've read, elephants learn mothering by observation rather than on-the-job training. With luck, the due dates will allow Shanti to do some observing.