Archive for the ‘Shanti’ Category

Nov
21

The Swim Lessons were a Success

Posted by in Baylor,Elephant Care,Shanti,Tupelo

Baylor, Shanti, and Tupelo in the new pool

Our entire herd is having a great time in their new, expanded exhibit, and Baylor and Tupelo have picked their favorite part of all-the giant swimming pool! Elephants love the water, and bathing is one of their favorite activities. Although elephants are very large and do not look like the most graceful of swimmers, they actually have a few advantages in the water. Elephants are naturally buoyant, making it easy for them to float in the water, but the biggest advantage is their trunk. When swimming, elephants can raise the tip of their trunk above the water and breathe through it like a snorkel. This allows them to be underwater for as long as they like, which is especially helpful in the wild when crossing large, deep rivers.
Tupelo, now 13 months old, and Baylor, now 18 months old, are gradually learning to swim in the deep end of their new 80,000 gallon pool. Over the past few months, keepers have slowly filled the pool so that the calves could get used to swimming in deeper waters. At first, Baylor and Tupelo could stand on the bottom and lay down to float on their sides. As the water level rose, the calves could practice kicking and breathing through their trunks. Now, the pool is almost filled to the highest level, and the rest of our herd is starting to enjoy swimming as well. Tess often joins her calf Tupelo in the pool, and usually relaxes while floating on her side to cool off. Shanti, Baylor’s mom, loves to play in the pool with both calves by splashing with her trunk. Tucker loves to splash and swim, but most of the time you can only see his trunk above the water. Even Thailand and Methai get in the shallow end to cool off!

The elephants get in the pool when the mood strikes them, but chances are if you stop by the new Asian Elephant exhibit on a warm day, you will see the Baylor and Tupelo splashing, running and swimming, enjoying all their new habitat has to offer.

Shanti, Baylor and Tupleo playing in the new pool

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May
06

IT’S A BOY! Shanti and Baby Baylor Doing Fine at the Houston Zoo

Posted by in Baylor,Birth,Shanti

Baby Elephant "Baylor"

After a pregnancy lasting almost 23 months, Shanti, a 19-year-old Asian elephant, delivered a healthy 348-pound male calf Tuesday morning at the Houston Zoo’s McNair Asian Elephant Habitat. The calf has been named Baylor by the Zoo’s elephant care team in recognition of the unprecedented and ongoing advances made by Baylor College of Medicine’s research team to significantly reduce the threat of a potentially lethal elephant herpes virus.

Shanti began exhibiting signs of labor around 10:30 Monday night.  Attended by the Houston Zoo’s elephant care team and assisted by the Zoo’s veterinary staff, Shanti delivered the baby at 9:32 a.m. on Tuesday, May 4.   “After months of preparation and tender loving care, the delivery was actually quick and easy for Shanti,” said Large Mammal Curator Daryl Hoffman.  “The keepers helped Baylor get to his feet and he was standing on his own within about 2 hours after his birth,” added Hoffman.  

“Baylor started nursing at 12:05 p.m. Tuesday,” said Hoffman.  “This little elephant has a very good appetite.  In the first 90 minutes after his first meal we saw him nurse more than 10 times,” added Hoffman.   

Immediately after the calf was born, the elephant care team and the Zoo’s veterinary staff performed a neonatal exam.  “We weighed and measured the calf and took a blood sample,” said Houston Zoo Director of Veterinary Services Dr. Joe Flanagan.  Elephant keepers will keep Shanti and Baylor under a 24-hour watch for the next few weeks.   The barn at the McNair Asian Elephant Habitat is temporarily closed to the public but will reopen after the elephant care team can see signs that Baylor has his “sea legs” and is comfortable in his new home.  Baylor is Shanti’s third calf.  

The 8 members of the Houston Zoo’s elephant care team, assisted by the Zoo’s veterinarians and veterinary staff and a core group of Zoo volunteers, have been monitoring Shanti closely for the past 11 months.  The routine intensified over the past 12 weeks with regular ultrasounds to monitor the baby’s health and blood work to gauge the mother’s progesterone level.   Throughout the delivery, Shanti was attended by the entire elephant care team and assisted by all 4 Zoo veterinarians and 3 of the Zoo hospital’s veterinary technicians.

More than 50 volunteers and Zoo staff began a seven-day a week, 24-hour birth watch in late February.  Utilizing a state of the art closed-circuit television system, the birth watch team observed and documented Shanti’s behavior.  When blood tests indicated Shanti’s progesterone level had fallen to a low baseline level, Zoo veterinarians and members of the elephant care team remained at the McNair Asian Elephant Habitat around the clock watching for indications that labor had begun.

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May
03

Was That the Baby Elephant?

Posted by in Elephant Care,Preparing for Baby,Shanti,Veterinary

Trans-rectal Ultrasound on Shanti

Besides routine blood collection, another way that the zoo staff monitors Shanti’s pregnancy is through ultrasound. There are two types of ultrasound commonly used to monitor an elephant’s pregnancy.  The two types are trans-rectal and trans-abdominal.  Trans-rectal ultrasounds are performed at two different stages during calf development.

Early trans-rectal ultrasounds are performed between the 8th and 20th weeks of gestation.  There is not much to see at this time, but a skilled veterinarian can determine that an elephant is pregnant before it is shown in her blood work. At 8 – 9 weeks of gestation, the embryo is all that would be visible. By 18 weeks, the outline of an elephant calf has been seen via trans-rectal ultrasound. At about 20 weeks of gestation, due to the calf’s growing size, calves become too large and heavy and get too far away to detect via trans-rectal ultrasound. Ultrasounds will cease at this time until we reach the end of the last trimester.

At roughly the 18 month mark of pregnancy, zoo staff begins trans-abdominal ultrasounds. It is difficult to see any identifiable calf parts, but we see a lot of calf movement and it reassures us all that the calf is alive and healthy. As we near the end of the pregnancy, trans-rectal ultrasounds resume again. Now, it is possible to see dilation of the cervix and if we are lucky, baby feet or other baby body parts pressing again the ultrasound probe.  

Since the middle of February, Shanti has been receiving regular ultrasounds. These have intensified in frequency over the past few weeks. Ultrasounds are scheduled at least twice a week and possibly more often if the blood work data or Shanti’s behavior suggest that the birth of the calf is imminent.

Written by Daryl Hoffman, Houston Zoo Large Mammal Curator

Trans-abdominal Ultrasound on Shanti

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May
01

Methai, matriarch of the Houston Zoo Elephant Herd

Posted by in Elephant Herd,Preparing for Baby,Shanti

As anyone can guess, being almost two years pregnant will make any mom to be a bit uncomfortable and a little anxious.  However, Shanti is ready to bring the baby into the world. We are just waiting for the baby to be ready. In the meantime, Shanti will rely on support she gets from the Elephant staff as well as the elephant matriarch. The Houston Zoo Elephant Matriarch is Methai. She is a forty year old elephant and she watches over the going ons in the elephant barn and yard. She attends to all matters that are elephant.

Methai

Shanti is very close to delivering her calf and during the day and nights, Methai can be found checking on Shanti. Likewise, Shanti hangs around Methai and gains support from her matriarch. In fact, Shanti wants Methai to be in the yard first before she leaves the barn! Methai has a busy schedule of checking over the ladies and Tucker. However, she always likes having zoo guests come by to visit. So stop by the area and see all the elephants. Make sure you say hi to Methai, the moms to be, Shanti and Tess,” little” Tucker and Thai.

Written by Elephant Watch Volunteer, Jennifer Swick

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Apr
26

What happens in the elephant barn at night?

Posted by in Elephant Birth Watch,Preparing for Baby,Shanti

Shanti in the elephant barn at night.

Tonight is day 675 for Shanti.  She’s a little past her due date but that’s typical for Shanti.  Nothing to worry about.  One might think she enjoys the extra attention and wants to draw this out as long as possible.  But so far, tonight has been like every other shift I’ve spent this time watching Shanti waiting to give birth. 

This is my fourth birthwatch but it’s still just as neat, awesome, fascinating (and all those other similar words) as the first one.  She’s very content right now, ears flapping, as she eats her hay and tree branches.  She’ll finish eating in a little while and then she’ll settle down; maybe even laying down to sleep.  Tucker likes to come over and touch her – I think he’s very curious as to what’s going on plus he might just want some of the extra food she gets.  It’s gone before he can get any but he still has to check on Shanti.  He won’t be the baby of the herd after this baby is born and he definitely will be the *big* brother when the next baby is born in September/October 2010. 

Shanti sleeping in the Houston Zoo elephant barn.

I’m really hoping to see the mucus plug tonight.  That means the birth is imminent.  I consider myself very fortunate to have seen the last time she dropped her mucus plug.  What excitement that caused.  Ready now for that excitement!  And I know the keepers are ready for a healthy elephant calf.

Written by Sharon Kimmel, Houston ZooElephant Watch Volunteer

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Apr
09

Is it a boy or is it a girl elephant?

Posted by in Elephant Birth Watch,Preparing for Baby,Shanti,Veterinary

Unlike with human babies, birth preparation does not include painting the nursery to match the sex of the baby. Nor is there a concern about getting boy or girl clothes at the baby shower. None the less, zookeepers still would like to know if the expecting mother is having a boy or girl baby elephant. Boy elephants are known as bulls and girl elephants are known as cows.  Regardless if it is a bull or a cow, the first several years of their lives will be pretty much the same. Baby elephants will nurse from the mothers for the first two years of their lives. They will start sampling solid foods around 3 – 4 months of age and start becoming mischievous several hours after they are born.

In human pregnancies, the sex of the baby is often determined during an ultrasound. This technique is not possible for elephants. The way zoo staff determines the sex of a baby elephant prior to birth is from analyzing the mother’s blood work. A portion of the blood serum from Shanti’s routine blood collections is sent to a laboratory in St. Louis, MO.  At this lab, the technicians analyze progesterone concentrations in maternal blood serum to determine testosterone patterns. If the elephant is carrying a male calf, the mean progesterone concentrations are greater than the elephants that are pregnant with female calves. Due to the relatively small sample size of elephants used to develop this method, it is not foolproof and some errors in the prediction of the calf’s sex have occurred. The attached chart shows the results of Shanti’s fetal sexing. By all accounts the calf that Shanti is carrying looks like it is a little boy.

Written by Daryl Hoffman, Houston Zoo Large Mammal Curator

Shanti's Fetal Sexing chart

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Apr
07

Elephant Blood Collection

Posted by in Elephant Birth Watch,Preparing for Baby,Shanti,Veterinary,Zoo Keepers

Collecting blood from Shanti's ear

Each elephant has their blood collected once a week to monitor overall health and well-being. The Elephant team has been collecting daily blood samples on Shanti since March 10, 2010. Shanti’s blood is being collected more frequently, so that the zoo staff can track and monitor her pregnancy.

Shanti’s daily blood samples are sent to an Endocrinology laboratory in Washington DC. After conception, the hormone progesterone in elephants will elevate and remain high for about 22 months. Three to five days prior to giving birth, Shanti’s progesterone will decrease significantly to a baseline level. Once this decrease occurs, it is all hands on deck for the Elephant team. Beginning with the first blood progesterone result reaching baseline, the Elephant team will be living at the zoo 24/7.

Written by Daryl Hoffman,  Houston Zoo Large Mammal Curator

Shanti's progesterone levels chart.

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Apr
06

Business As Usual with Houston Zoo Elephants

Posted by in Elephant Diet,Preparing for Baby,Shanti,Veterinary,Zoo Keepers

Business as usual, except for the fact that we are expecting a 300 pound baby at any time!

Shanti getting her morning bath.

A pregnant elephant definitely requires more attention from the Elephant team, but that doesn’t mean the other elephants lack in their special time. Life around the elephant area is business as usual. First thing each morning, the elephants are shifted into their “bedrooms” where they receive their breakfast. Breakfast consists of a basket of Kale and a bunch of hay. While the elephants eat breakfast, the team cleans the yards. Besides picking up all of the manure and debris, every inch of the yards are raked to remove old hay. Once breakfast is finished, it is time for morning baths. Each elephant is scrubbed everyday from trunk tip to tail tip and even behind their ears. The team uses a stiff bristled bush and a mild shampoo made especially for elephants called “Zafari Wash”. Besides eating, bath time is probably the elephant’s favorite part of the day. What is better than eating your favorite treats while someone scrubs your back and rinses you down?

Following baths, the team collects each elephant’s blood pressure, temperature, and heart rate. They also collect blood, urine and trunk secretions from every elephant once a week. Once all this is done, the elephants are sent outside and the team cleans the elephant “bedrooms.” After lunch, the zookeepers have a training session with the elephants. These sessions are narrated by a team member for the zoo guests. Following this, the team performs foot care on the elephants. This is essentially a pachyderm pedicure. The team also finishes cleaning and makes preparations for the evening setup of the elephants.

Getting a blood pressure reading from Shanti's tail.

Collecting trunk secretions.

While another keeper feeds Shanti, Martina Stevens is able to collect a urine sample.

Daily, around 2:30, Shanti gets some quality time with the team. First, it is time for Shanti’s exercise session. Just like with people, some days Shanti is more motivated than others. Following the exercise, the team focuses on calf preparation and training with Shanti. This training includes regular ultrasounds, training her to stand in specific positions, and tactile desensitization by the keepers on Shanti’s body.  Shanti is doing great with the training!

Written by Daryl Hoffman, Houston Zoo Large Mammal Curator

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Apr
04

Houston Zoo Elephant Shanti’s Favorite Things

Posted by in Elephant Baby Shower,Enrichment,Shanti

Shanti getting a back scratch with the help of a tire.

Enrichment is a huge part of a zookeeper’s daily responsibility. All of the elephants enjoy enrichment. Of course, they especially seem to like food enrichment!   Enrichment has many purposes including stimulating the minds of animals, increasing activity levels, enhancing natural behaviors, and more. A few of Shanti’s favorite items are: a car tire (which she keeps by her side all night long), hay net, a PVC puzzle feeder, sidewalk chalk, spices, herbs, and fresh cut browse. Shanti is very excited to try the new enrichment items that were donated at her baby shower.

Written by Kim Klein, Houston Zoo Elephant Zoo Keeper

Enrichment items stimulate the minds and bodies of our animals.

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Apr
01

Shanti the Elephant: So…How Big IS She?

Posted by in Elephant Baby Shower,Humor,Shanti

How big IS Shanti's belly?

Just like every expectant mother, Shanti’s belly was measured.  The Elephant Team measured it with a string.  The results were revealed at her baby shower on Sunday March 28, 2010.  For almost 22 months, a baby has been growing inside her causing her belly to grow to 196 inches – that’s 16 feet 4 inches!

Written by Mandy Rinker, Elephant Keeper

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