Elephant conservation news 30 January - 5 February 2010
Houston Zoo is hoping that its beleaguered elephant-breeding programme will finally bear fruit, after the development of a vaccine to help calves survive yielded a test for a deadly disease.
The zoo has so far seen a 100% failure rate during its 25-year programme, according to the Houston Chronicle - something of grave concern to workers, as two pregnant females are gearing up to give birth later this year.
All 14 pregnancies have ended with calves dying either before birth, or during infancy. Six of these deaths were caused by a disease caused by a herpes virus that weakens elephants' blood vessels, which in turn can lead to heart failure.
However, hopes are now being pinned on a vaccine that is in joint development by the zoo and Baylor College of Medicine. Although an effective vaccine is said to be five years away, the research has already produced a reliable test for the virus, which would allow treatment before the disease develops in the calves.
While both of the expectant mothers - 19-year-old Shanti and 26-year-old Tess - have themselves tested positive for the virus, it is thought to be most dangerous to animals under 10. It is not known whether the mothers could transmit it to their unborn calves in the womb, while they could in any case pass it on after the baby elephants are born.
Daryl Hoffman, Houston Zoo's large mammal curator, admitted that despite each of the zoo's calves being lost "under different circumstances", he still had "lots of concerns".
"As we learn more, our success rates should improve," he added.
Last month, Houston Zoo was placed fifth in the 2009 list of America's Ten Worst Zoos for Elephants by welfare group In Defense of Animals, though this criticism focused on alleged "cruel, circus-style training" of animals.
Nevertheless, a spokesperson for the advocacy group has now branded the zoo's breeding programme "unconscionable".
Cameroon takes steps to protect elephant population
The government of Cameroon is taking a hard line on elephant poaching in an attempt to protect the species and its natural habitat, allAfrica.com reports.
While there was an increased incidence of elephant poachers targeting protected areas in the country in 2009, the year ended with the arrest of three wildlife traffickers.
In a separate incident, a trafficker was jailed for five years for killing seven elephants.
Quoted in allAfrica.com, Debbie Banks of the Environmental Investigation Agency said that without such a focused crackdown: "the plunder [would] continue, threatening species with extinction, stealing from local and national economies and undermining global efforts towards sustainable development".
The country's government is also taking steps to preserve the natural habitat of elephants. In December 2009, it ruled that Mount Cameroon and the surrounding area will be designated a National Park, to help protect the forest's elephant and chimpanzee populations.
A spokesperson for the Worldwide Fund for Nature said that the decision would attract investment in roads and infrastructure. However, he noted that it would impact on 300,000-plus nearby human inhabitants, who rely on the area for water supply and agricultural activities.
