Guest guest Posted June 26, 2006 Report Share Posted June 26, 2006 Can anyone explain whether this baby elephant can die from a drug overdose which the vet said is harmless. Any other causes which may have caused the baby elephant's death? Thanks. Yitze Wednesday June 21, 2006 _ The Star Orphaned jumbo found *By CLARA CHOOI* *LENGGONG:* For more than a month, an 18-month-old male elephant had been desperately searching for his mother, not knowing that she had died of gunshot wounds to her head at Kampung Pulau Cheri near here last month. Hungry and alone, the 300kg calf foraged for food and fed on wild banana shoots near the villages where he had last seen his mother. Following complaints from villagers that their crops were being destroyed, Perak Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) officers tracked the little pachyderm from Kampung Beng and Kampung Luat to Kampung Chepor here. Their hunt, which began early this month, finally succeeded when the team of seven Perhilitan rangers from Gerik sighted the elephant near Kampung Chepor and managed to drug it at 12.30pm on Monday. " He is in healthy condition. When I shot him, he immediately turned to attack me, " said Perhilitan assistant officer Hamid Basri Itam at the site yesterday, adding that the calf collapsed 15 minutes after the drugs took effect. The baby elephant, whose feet measures 18cm in diameter, was sprightly yesterday afternoon when officers and department director Shabrina Mohd Shariff checked on him and fed him banana shoots. Recognising Hamid as the one who shot him with a tranquiliser dart, the feisty calf charged at Hamid but was restrained by the chain binding him. " He is a bit angry now, " said Shabrina. She said the calf was probably left behind by the herd after his mother went missing. " That was why he kept returning to the nearby villages. He came back to look for his mother, " said Shabrina. The calf, she added, would have to remain at the site for the next two to three days before officers from the Kuala Gandah elephant translocation unit in Pahang come to take him away. " As he is still young, we cannot put him in the Belum forest. He will not survive there on his own, " she said, adding that the calf would be looked after well at the Kuala Gandah training centre. --\ --------------------------- Saturday June 24, 2006 - The Star Sedated elephant calf dies *News update by Christina Koh of The Star* The orphaned baby elephant, which had collapsed during efforts to transport him to Pahang died at about 10am today (July 24) in Lenggong. The 300kg calf had spent overnight on his side after being given a sedative to allow Wildlife and National Park Department (Perhilitan) rangers to move it out from the Piah Forest Reserve nearby. Taiping Zoo director Dr Kevin Lazarus treated the calf at about 11pm last night after Perhilitan officials left to seek help when the calf collapsed at Kampung Chepor Felcra estate yesterday. The veterinarian had last night speculated that the calf was suffering from dehydration and exhaustion --\ ------------------------ Sunday June 25, 2006 Sad ending for baby jumbo *BY CHRISTINA KOH* *LENGGONG:* A few more steps and Mat Chepor, the orphaned 18-month-old elephant, would have survived. He was 10m away from the trailer at the Felcra Kampung Chepor oil palm estate near here when he collapsed at 2.45pm on Friday. Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) rangers from Perak and Pahang could only keep a vigil over the baby elephant as it grew weaker overnight. It died 18 hours later. It was a complete turnaround from Monday when rangers caught the healthy calf at the Piah Forest Reserve. They were transferring him to Pahang to join a herd of 11 elephants. Mat Chepor was found wandering alone after its mother died from gunshot wounds. Taiping Zoo director Dr Kevin Lazarus said a post-mortem revealed that Mat Chepor's intestines showed signs of erosion and internal damage, likely due to starvation. He ruled out drug overdose as the cause of death but added that tissue and blood samples had been sent for laboratory testing. He said the calf, which had been given 20mg of the sedative Ilium Xylazil-100 to calm it down on Friday morning, could not have died from drug overdose as the dosage was " very safe " . He also said it could not have died from the injections of Reverzine, a drug meant to revive it when it arrived at the estate and was too groggy to move. " When the animal doesn't get up, it is all right to give it more of the antidote (Reverzine). This is normal, " said Dr Lazarus, who treated the calf on Friday night. He said Mat Chepor could have succumbed to exhaustion, dehydration and a chronic lack of nutrition. " Although the baby elephant is old enough to eat on its own, he is still dependent on his mother for her milk, " he said. --\ --------------------- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 26, 2006 Report Share Posted June 26, 2006 Dear Yitze, The elephant calf must have been severely dehydrated when rescued and has lost a lot of antobidies. One simple mistake that we do is feeding it with cow milk. That is extremly fatal. Rehabilitation of elephant calves is a very critical process. In India too mortality rate of rescued elephant calves is 80%. I am not too sure if the drug overdose could be You should get in touch with Dr. Daphne Sheldrick, founder and Chairperson of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Kenya. She is a renowned authority on orphaned elephant and rhino calves. She is also the person who had developed the milk formula for orphaned elephant and rhino calves which is now used by milk companies to produce substitute milk for the animals. She will be the right person to comment on this. Her website is: www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org Email: rc-h Thanks, Azam Siddiqui aapn , yitzeling <yitzeling wrote: > > Can anyone explain whether this baby elephant can die from a drug overdose > which the vet said is harmless. Any other causes which may have caused the > baby elephant's death? > > Thanks. > > Yitze > > Wednesday June 21, 2006 _ The Star > > > > Orphaned jumbo found > > *By CLARA CHOOI* > > *LENGGONG:* For more than a month, an 18-month-old male elephant had been > desperately searching for his mother, not knowing that she had died of > gunshot wounds to her head at Kampung Pulau Cheri near here last month. > > Hungry and alone, the 300kg calf foraged for food and fed on wild banana > shoots near the villages where he had last seen his mother. > > Following complaints from villagers that their crops were being destroyed, > Perak Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) officers tracked > the little pachyderm from Kampung Beng and Kampung Luat to Kampung Chepor > here. > > Their hunt, which began early this month, finally succeeded when the team of > seven Perhilitan rangers from Gerik sighted the elephant near Kampung Chepor > and managed to drug it at 12.30pm on Monday. > > " He is in healthy condition. When I shot him, he immediately turned to > attack me, " said Perhilitan assistant officer Hamid Basri Itam at the site > yesterday, adding that the calf collapsed 15 minutes after the drugs took > effect. > > The baby elephant, whose feet measures 18cm in diameter, was sprightly > yesterday afternoon when officers and department director Shabrina Mohd > Shariff checked on him and fed him banana shoots. > > Recognising Hamid as the one who shot him with a tranquiliser dart, the > feisty calf charged at Hamid but was restrained by the chain binding him. > > " He is a bit angry now, " said Shabrina. > > She said the calf was probably left behind by the herd after his mother went > missing. > > " That was why he kept returning to the nearby villages. He came back to look > for his mother, " said Shabrina. > > The calf, she added, would have to remain at the site for the next two to > three days before officers from the Kuala Gandah elephant translocation unit > in Pahang come to take him away. > > " As he is still young, we cannot put him in the Belum forest. He will not > survive there on his own, " she said, adding that the calf would be looked > after well at the Kuala Gandah training centre. > > > - --- ---- > Saturday June 24, 2006 - The Star > > Sedated elephant calf dies > > *News update by Christina Koh of The Star* > > The orphaned baby elephant, which had collapsed during efforts to transport > him to Pahang died at about 10am today (July 24) in Lenggong. > > The 300kg calf had spent overnight on his side after being given a sedative > to allow Wildlife and National Park Department (Perhilitan) rangers to move > it out from the Piah Forest Reserve nearby. > > Taiping Zoo director Dr Kevin Lazarus treated the calf at about 11pm last > night after Perhilitan officials left to seek help when the calf collapsed > at Kampung Chepor Felcra estate yesterday. > > The veterinarian had last night speculated that the calf was suffering from > dehydration and exhaustion > - --- - > > Sunday June 25, 2006 > > Sad ending for baby jumbo > > *BY CHRISTINA KOH* > > *LENGGONG:* A few more steps and Mat Chepor, the orphaned 18-month- old > elephant, would have survived. > > He was 10m away from the trailer at the Felcra Kampung Chepor oil palm > estate near here when he collapsed at 2.45pm on Friday. > > Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) rangers from Perak and > Pahang could only keep a vigil over the baby elephant as it grew weaker > overnight. It died 18 hours later. > > It was a complete turnaround from Monday when rangers caught the healthy > calf at the Piah Forest Reserve. They were transferring him to Pahang to > join a herd of 11 elephants. > > Mat Chepor was found wandering alone after its mother died from gunshot > wounds. > > Taiping Zoo director Dr Kevin Lazarus said a post-mortem revealed that Mat > Chepor's intestines showed signs of erosion and internal damage, likely due > to starvation. > > He ruled out drug overdose as the cause of death but added that tissue and > blood samples had been sent for laboratory testing. > > He said the calf, which had been given 20mg of the sedative Ilium > Xylazil-100 to calm it down on Friday morning, could not have died from drug > overdose as the dosage was " very safe " . > > He also said it could not have died from the injections of Reverzine, a drug > meant to revive it when it arrived at the estate and was too groggy to > move. > > " When the animal doesn't get up, it is all right to give it more of the > antidote (Reverzine). This is normal, " said Dr Lazarus, who treated the calf > on Friday night. > > He said Mat Chepor could have succumbed to exhaustion, dehydration and a > chronic lack of nutrition. > > " Although the baby elephant is old enough to eat on its own, he is still > dependent on his mother for her milk, " he said. > > - - > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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