Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Center for Elephant Conservation(R) Celebrates Its 15th Anniversary With the Birth of Its 23rd Elephant

VIENNA, Va., April 15 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Center for Elephant Conservation® proudly announces the birth of a healthy female Asian elephant -- marking the twenty-third birth in what has proven to be the most successful Asian elephant breeding program in the Western Hemisphere. Born on April 3rd, at 9:30 p.m. and weighing 265 pounds, the calf has been named April. This is the fourth calf bred between 34-year old Alana and 37-year old Charlie, and April has three siblings, 4-year old Irvin, 6-year old Asha and 12-year old Doc.    

(Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100415/PH87580 )

"Since opening the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Center for Elephant Conservation fifteen years ago our mission has been to preserve and sustain the endangered Asian elephant species," says Kenneth Feld, Founder of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Center for Elephant Conservation. "April's birth at the Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation® is yet another proven milestone in our commitment to ensure the survival of this majestic species and for future generations to experience."  

As with each calf born at Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey®, April will have a team of veterinarians and elephant husbandry specialists that will watch over and care for her as she grows and develops. April's veterinary team is lead by Dennis Schmitt, D.V.M., Ph.D. Ringling Bros.® Chair of Veterinary Services and Director of Research. The veterinary team also provides health care services for the three traveling Ringling Bros. circus units and oversees research at the Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation.

In 1995, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Center for Elephant Conservation was established to preserve the endangered Asian elephant species by focusing on the research, reproduction and retirement of captive Asian elephants. Since the breeding program's inception, it has seen unparalleled success and remains one of the key components in Ringling Bros. conservation efforts.  With 54 elephants under its care including thirteen elephants over the age of 45 and three over 60, Ringling Bros. continues to be the trustee of the largest herd of Asian elephants in the Western Hemisphere. Additionally, in 2007, Ringling Bros. was granted F2 status by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife, which means that the elephants born under the care of Ringling Bros. are successfully reproducing and are thereby self-sustaining the herd.  

Another successful component to the Ringling Bros. conservation program is providing unlimited resources for scientific research into the reproduction and health care of the Asian elephant.  In 2009, Ringling Bros. announced the birth of its first calf born as a result of artificial insemination (AI).  AI procedures are considered a viable option in conservation programs where species like the Asian elephant are endangered. The AI procedure is meant to complement natural breeding efforts and help manage and increase the gene pool population without the logistics of relocating and introducing a male elephant (solitary by nature) to an established herd of female elephants.

Within the past decade, there have been great strides in animal reproductive sciences as it pertains to inseminating the captive elephant population.  These research advancements include: improved ability to predict ovulation as a female elephant's cycle must be identified before an attempt to inseminate; better semen collection protocol for male elephants to ensure viability and motility; and insemination techniques such as utilizing a custom made catheter that places the collection closer to the site of fertilization. Additionally, the comfort of the female elephant during an AI procedure is of the highest priority. The process to train an elephant to accept an AI can vary from just a few weeks to a year which is why it is essential to have an experienced and knowledgeable elephant management staff present to ensure that the elephant is safe and content during the procedure.

Research funding is also critical to maintain the health of this endangered species and Ringling Bros. initiatives have funded more than $300,000 toward the Smithsonian Institution's National Zoo's research projects which included a study on the endotheliotropic herpes viruses (EEHV), the single greatest health threat to the Asian elephant. Since the identification of EEHV, it has been determined that the virus has caused the death of almost one-quarter of the calves born into human care in North America and Europe, and more recently investigators have reported multiple domestic and wild elephant deaths in Asia attributable to the virus. EEHV is a serious health threat to the Asian elephant and in North America only nine known elephants have survived this disease, two of which are currently residing at the Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation.

In 2007, the Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation also established the annual International Conference on Tuberculosis in Elephants. The Conference brings together experts in human and animal medicine to discuss the current state of tuberculosis research for elephants.

Other components to the Ringling Bros. Asian elephant conservation initiatives include collaborating with range countries such as partnering with the University of Peradeniya in Kandy, Sri Lanka.  This program initially based out of the Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation, consisted of four students enrolled in a Masters of Philosophy (MPhil) program in Captive Elephant Management at the University. The students implemented university-approved research projects lead by Dr. Schmitt on Asian elephants and incorporated into their MPhil program the time spent learning captive elephant husbandry practices and handling techniques at the Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation. For several years Ringling Bros. also has worked with the Biodiversity and Elephant Conservation Trust and its grass roots conservation education program. The international program focuses on education in the primary schools and local villages in the elephant range areas of Sri Lanka.

In the United States, Ringling Bros. supports zoos and stationary institutions by providing suitable companion elephants to those facilities wishing to increase an elephant herd that is diminishing in population. More importantly, due to the scientific knowledge shared over the years by veterinarians and staff, Ringling Bros. is also able to support other reproductive programs at domestic stationary facilities by donating semen collections from its male herd in an effort to help others sustain the captive North American Asian elephant population which is just over 300.

Within the past fifteen years, the conservation programs established by the dedicated staff, researchers and veterinarians at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Center for Elephant Conservation have made great progress to help conserve and sustain this magnificent, yet endangered species.  Moving forward, Ringling Bros. remains undeterred and committed to continuing its mission so that Children of All Ages will be able to experience the most majestic species on the planet for years to come.

About the Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation: Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Center for Elephant Conservation was established to ensure that future generations have the opportunity to experience the endangered Asian elephant species. Built in 1995, this 200-acre, state-of-the-art facility was designed for the reproduction, research and retirement of the Asian elephant, enabling 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 www.elephantcenter.com.

SOURCE Ringling Bros.