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Cited by 46Animal Behavior and Welfare StudiesWildlife Ecology and ConservationVeterinary Equine Medical Research

Individual and environmental risk factors associated with fecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations in zoo-housed Asian and African elephants

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Brown, Janine L., Carlstead, Kathy, Bray, Jessica D., Dickey, David, Farin, Charlotte, Ange-van Heugten, Kimberly·2019·PLOS ONE
DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0217326PMC PMC6726191

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Abstract

A recent large-scale welfare study in North America involving 106 Asian (Elephas maximus) and 131 African (Loxodonta africana) elephants at 64 accredited facilities identified links (i.e., risk factors) between zoo environmental factors and a number of welfare outcomes (stereotypic behavior, ovarian acyclicity, hyperprolactinemia, walking and recumbence, body condition, health status, serum cortisol).For this population of elephants, we used the same epidemiological methods to examine associations between those risk factors and two additional welfare outcomes, mean concentration and individual variability (CV) of fecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations (FGM) as indicators of stress.Results indicate that African elephants are more responsive to social stressors than Asians, and that poor joint health is a stress-related welfare problem for Asian, but not African elephants in the North American population.For both species, higher FGM concentrations were associated with zoos located at more northern latitudes, whereas lower FGM concentrations were associated with having free access to indoor/outdoor spaces, and spending more time in managed interactions with staff.Also important for captive management, elephants having diverse enrichment options and belonging to compatible social groups exhibited reduced intra-individual variability in FGM concentrations.Our findings show that aspects of the zoo environment can be potential sources of stress for captive elephants, and that there are management activities that may facilitate coping with zoo conditions.Given species differences in factors that affected FGM, targeted, species-specific management approaches likely are needed to ensure good welfare for all elephants.

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Authors
Brown, J. L., Carlstead, K., Bray, J. D., Dickey, D., Farin, C., & Ange-van Heugten, K.
Affiliations
  • Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (US)
  • North Carolina State University (US)
Corresponding author
Brown, Janine L.
ORCID
Brown, Janine L.
Venue
PLOS ONE
Publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Published
2019-09-04
Volume
14
Issue
9
Pages
e0217326
ISSN
1932-6203 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0217326
PMC
PMC6726191
OpenAlex
W2971449933
Cited by
46
References
78
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 1 · 2014: 1
FWCI
8.24
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • PLoS ONE (publishedVersion, public-domain)
  • bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (acceptedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, public-domain)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, public-domain)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
  • Smithsonian Institution
  • Institute of Museum and Library Services (LG-25-10-0033-10)
  • Shared Earth Foundation
  • Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Veterinary › Small Animals › Animal Behavior and Welfare Studies
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
  • Health Sciences › Veterinary › Equine › Veterinary Equine Medical Research
Keywords
fecal glucocorticoid metabolites, captive elephants, Asian elephant, Loxodonta africana, zoo animal welfare, stress symptoms, environmental risk factors, social stressors, joint health, enrichment, social group composition, interindividual variability, species differences, zoo management
MeSH terms
Animals, Animals, Zoo, Elephants, Environment, Feces, Female, Glucocorticoids, Male, Risk Factors, Seasons, Biomarkers

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