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In this Episode:
Series 1 Episode Guide:
Super Vets
Kaylee, a 23 year old female elephant, is eight months pregnant with her second calf. She needed an ultrasound examination to check the health of the foetus. A resident at Whipsnade Wild Animal Park, one of two living collections owned by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), Kaylee’s pregnancy is being carefully monitored by ZSL vets and one of the world’s top elephant reproduction experts, Dr Thomas Hildebrandt of the Institute of Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin.
Whipsnade’s elephant keepers are amongst the best in the world and as a result the elephants have been conditioned to accept veterinary procedures. Kaylee was able to stand for the start of the procedure under the care of her keepers, whilst ZSL’s Head Vet, Wayne Boardman, gave her an enema to remove faecal material and improve the contact of the ultrasound probe with the rectal wall. A very messy procedure, Wayne wore a gown and gloves to protect himself from contamination.
Wayne then inserted the ultrasound probe into the pelvic canal as far as possible to look at different sections of Kaylee’s abdominal cavity - having long arms helps! As Kaylee was eight months pregnant at the time of the ultrasound, her uterus was getting bigger and beginning to fall over the pelvic canal. As the foetus grows bigger the uterus moves too far away for the penetration of the ultrasound probe, which can only penetrate up to 22cm at maximum depth. Kaylee was moved into different positions, including onto her side, to try and make the uterus easier to locate.
Although this procedure is invasive Kaylee was extremely relaxed throughout. It is not painful or harmful to either the elephant or the foetus. Ultrasound examinations are an important and necessary procedure, teaching the vets more about the development of elephant pregnancy and helping to advance science and knowledge.
Kaylee will be scanned at again in the last four months of her 22-month pregnancy and her calf will be the third to be born as part of ZSL’s successful breeding programme for this endangered species. She gave birth to her first calf on 16th March 2004, a female, named Aneena, who weighed 149kg on arrival and is believed to be the largest live female elephant ever born.
Whipsnade has one of the largest groups of breeding females in UK and together with other European zoos, is working to ensure the long-term survival of elephants. Due to poaching and habitat destruction, Asian elephants are endangered in the wild and if this continues they face extinction in 30 years.
ZSL staff have played an important role in the production of an international handbook that defines best practice in the care, health, breeding, use for educational purposes and safe handling of elephants.
