I received two consecutive RSGs in 2000 and 2003 to explore the life history strategies of captive timber elephants of Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), based on the studbook data which I have compiled between 1993 and 1998. Although the Union of Myanmar is home to the second largest population of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) in the world, the demography of its captive elephant population has never been studied before in any detail. My study is the first of its kind in exploring the life-history strategies of the only endangered species which has been utilized as draft animals for mankind for more than hundred years.
I reported that wild-caught and captive-born elephants have different life history strategies. My study indicated that the captive-born section of the population seemed self-sustaining, but that the demographic rates seen in the wild-caught section was not sufficient to maintain a stable population.
“Yelaiking” is a Myanmar word for an operation to clear the jammed logs in the river or stream, under close supervision of ground staff. This is the kind of work which no machine can do and nothing can replace the elephants here.
Those calves born in captivity are hand-feed if mother could not produce enough milk.
Live capture of elephant by stockade method, one of the capture methods we used and these elephants are tamed on site, which make the elephants suffered from huge stress.
Whether the elephant is captured from wild or born in captivity, they became tame animals; the picture shows the elephant is tied by a filmsy rope (compare with the size of animal) and patiently awaiting his mahout. I would like to stress the fact that elephant management in timber industry depends on man-elephant bonding.
An elephant with a broken tusk. Here I am teaching local vets in Rajasthan on veterinary care of elephants.
I extended my analysis by conducting detailed survival analyses. Males had a higher mortality than females throughout the age range. In adults, wild-caught elephants suffered significantly higher mortality than captive-born elephants, and their mortality differed by capture methods. Elephants captured by immobilization showed the lowest survival rate when compared with elephants captured by either milarshikar (lasso or noose) or stockade. Regarding the causes of mortality, I documented that accidents and agalactia of mothers were the primary causes of death in calves, while malnutrition and accidents were the main causes in adults. Exploring reproductive patterns and maternal investment, I found that elephant mothers did not adapt their offspring sex ratio, and that reproductive fitness was lower in wild-caught females than captive-born females.
Lastly, I explored how the process of increasing time in captivity influences survival probabilities and reproductive potential in captive elephants, both within individuals and between generations. I reported that capture stress caused measurable reductions in survival and fecundity rates up to 12 years after capture, as well as reducing the survivorship of calves born to captured females. To achieve a self-sustaining population of captive timber elephants in Myanmar without the need for further capture from the wild, I recommended that Myanmar Government should re-evaluate elephant management strategies, aiming to improving both the fecundity and survival of captive elephants in all age groups.