Conference on elephant tuberculosis research

[Guest guest]

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,221519.shtml

Conference on Elephant Tuberculosis Research Establishes Action Plan at

International Symposium on Elephant Conservation

** *Posted :* Mon, 12 Nov 2007 16:43:46 GMT *Author :* Ringling Bros.

and Barnum & Bailey Center for Elephant Conservation *Category :*PressRelease

*News Alerts* by Email click here <http://www.earthtimes.org/member/> ) **

* <http://feeds.earthtimes.org/earthtimes/pressrelease>* *PressRelease

News **| Create your own RSS <http://www.earthtimes.org/myrssfeeds.php>* *|

Home <http://www.earthtimes.org/> *

 

VIENNA, Va., Nov. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Conservationists and scientists

from around the world gathered for the 2007 International Elephant

Conservation and Research Symposium, in Orlando, Florida. The

Symposium was hosted by the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Center

for Elephant Conservation® and the International Elephant Foundation

(IEF), and was held in conjunction with a two day global Conference on

Elephant Tuberculosis Research. The Conference brought together

experts in human and animal medicine, including veterinarians,

pathologists, immunologists, epidemiologists, internists, geneticists,

and animal management experts, to discuss the current state of

tuberculosis (TB) research for elephants.

 

" The caliber of the individuals attending this Research Conference

truly signifies the level of concern for further exploratory efforts

about this disease, " said Kenneth Feld, Founder of the Ringling Bros.

and Barnum & Bailey Center for Elephant Conservation and sponsor of

the Conference. " The Asian elephant holds a special place in my

family's heart and we are committed to ensuring the survival of this

magnificent species. "

 

It has been more than ten years since TB in elephants was recognized

as a health concern for the species. The objective of the Conference

was to further investigate and prioritize areas of research and

development relating to the diagnosis, treatment and epidemiology of

TB in elephants. As a result, the attendees identified critical areas

of research, which included: improving diagnostic capabilities,

determining safe and effective treatment, assessing transmission in

both captive and wild populations, and evaluating occupational risks

associated with TB and elephant husbandry. The attendees also agreed

that misleading information is detrimental and that the dissemination

of accurate, factual information to the public and regulatory

authorities is of the highest ethical priority. Additionally, the

group decided that further funding sources will be needed in order to

mobilize these critical areas of research.

 

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. The group returned to this year's International

Symposium with an update on the development of an ELISA test to

determine which elephants have been exposed to the virus and the

recent discovery of a new herpesvirus that is related to but

genetically distinct from previously identified EEHV types. The

Workshop has also pursued other key projects, such as the

establishment of a herpes research lab in Asia and an ongoing

epidemiology study. In 1995, pathologists at the Smithsonian National

Zoological Park were the first to identify EEHV while investigating

the sudden death of a 16-month-old Asian elephant born at the zoo.

Only four known elephants have survived the disease, one of which is

currently residing at the Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant

Conservation®.

 

Since the identification of EEHV, it has been determined that it has

caused the death of almost one-quarter of the calves born into human

care in North America and Europe, and recently investigators have

reported multiple elephant deaths in Asia attributable to EEHV.

 

" This is a particularly devastating disease for elephant managers and

conservationists. Not only does EEHV kill but it kills the most

precious members of an elephant herd, the babies, " said Deborah Olson,

Executive Director of the International Elephant Foundation and

co-sponsor of the Conference. " This is a worldwide problem and we must

partner in finding solutions if we are to conserve the Asian

elephant. "

 

The International Elephant Conservation and Research Symposium

provides a unique forum for the exchange of information and ideas for

scientists and conservationists who are developing new and innovative

methods in the health, management and preservation of both captive and

wild elephants. This year's Symposium was comprised of presentations

in the areas of veterinary medicine, captive management, nutrition and

physiology, reproduction, behavior, and in situ conservation and

management, including the increasing challenges of human elephant

conflict in range countries.

 

Symposium presenters and attendees represented a host of national and

international organizations and institutions including the Ringling

Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation®, SeaWorld and Busch Gardens,

Disney's Animal Kingdom, the Smithsonian's National Zoological Park,

Missouri State University, University of Sydney, the Leibniz-Institute

for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany, the Sri Lanka Wildlife

Conservation Society, and the Asian Elephant Research and Conservation

Centre at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, to name just a

few. The abstracts from those presentations may be found at

http://www.elephantcenter.com/.

 

The Symposium is a key component of the IEF's mission to support and

operate elephant conservation and research programs, with an emphasis

on management, protection and scientific research. Funding for IEF'

programs is provided largely by zoos and other institutions such as

Disney's Animal Kingdom, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Ringling Bros.

and Barnum & Bailey®, that care for elephants in North America and

Europe, along with individual donors who also want to promote

preservation, education and research of the world's elephant

populations.

 

About the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Center for Elephant

Conservation: The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Center for

Elephant Conservation was founded by Feld Entertainment, Inc., the

parent company of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, to ensure that

future generations have the opportunity to experience the endangered

Asian elephant. Built in 1995, this 200-acre, state-of-the-art

facility was designed for the reproduction, research and retirement of

the Asian elephant and enable Ringling Bros.® to share its elephant

husbandry knowledge with the veterinary and conservation communities

worldwide. For more information about the Ringling Bros. Center for

Elephant Conservation visit http://www.elephantcenter.com/.

 

About the International Elephant Foundation (IEF): The IEF is a

nonprofit organization which supports African and Asian elephant

conservation and research programs. Formed in 1998, the IEF Board ofs consists of highly regarded elephant experts affiliated with

a variety of international organizations, including non-profit and

for-profit zoological institutions, circuses, universities and

independent entities. 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. For more information about the IEF visit

http://www.elephantconservation.org/.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Center for Elephant Conservation