Physiological changes in captive elephants in northern Thailand as a result of the COVID-19 tourism ban—stress biomarkers
The international travel ban instituted by the Thai government in March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic greatly affected how tourist camp elephants were managed, with reductions in exercise opportunities, longer chaining hours, and diminished food provisioning. This study was conducted to...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2024-02-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Veterinary Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2024.1351361/full |
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| author | Jarawee Supanta Jarawee Supanta Janine L. Brown Janine L. Brown Janine L. Brown Pakkanut Bansiddhi Pakkanut Bansiddhi Pakkanut Bansiddhi Chatchote Thitaram Chatchote Thitaram Chatchote Thitaram Veerasak Punyapornwithaya Khanittha Punturee Patcharapa Towiboon Nopphamas Somboon Jaruwan Khonmee Jaruwan Khonmee Jaruwan Khonmee |
| author_facet | Jarawee Supanta Jarawee Supanta Janine L. Brown Janine L. Brown Janine L. Brown Pakkanut Bansiddhi Pakkanut Bansiddhi Pakkanut Bansiddhi Chatchote Thitaram Chatchote Thitaram Chatchote Thitaram Veerasak Punyapornwithaya Khanittha Punturee Patcharapa Towiboon Nopphamas Somboon Jaruwan Khonmee Jaruwan Khonmee Jaruwan Khonmee |
| author_sort | Jarawee Supanta |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The international travel ban instituted by the Thai government in March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic greatly affected how tourist camp elephants were managed, with reductions in exercise opportunities, longer chaining hours, and diminished food provisioning. This study was conducted to determine how those changes affected health and welfare biomarkers in individual elephants over the 2 years of the countrywide lockdown (April 2020–April 2022). Blood and fecal samples were collected from 58 elephants at six camps (monthly in Year 1, quarterly in Year 2) and analyzed for stress biomarkers — fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (fGCM), serum oxidative stress [malondialdehyde (MDA) and 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG)], and stress leukograms. Overall, fGCM concentrations increased within the first few months and remained higher than pre-COVID levels, as did the H/L ratio, a measure affected by cortisol. Serum 8-OHdG, an indicator of DNA oxidative damage, also increased over time, while monocytosis and lymphopenia further suggested alterations in immune function as a result of stress. By contrast, another marker of oxidative stress, serum MDA, declined, possibly in response to reduced roughage and supplement intake. A notable finding was a seasonal pattern of fGCM that was significantly different from previous studies. Whereas higher fGCM during the rainy season were observed in this study, previously, concentrations were highest during the winter, high tourist season. Thus, ironically, both the presence and absence of tourists have been associated with increased fGCM concentrations, albeit for different reasons. Camp management factors negatively affecting stress outcomes included shorter chain lengths, longer chain hours, lack of exercise, and reduced roughage and supplements. Overall, it was clear that camps struggled to maintain adequate care for elephants during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the importance of tourist income and need for contingency plans to cope with potential future disruptions to tourism. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T04:07:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8543db953aaf411b9c0d9ed2f2d3537d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2297-1769 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T04:07:41Z |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Veterinary Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-8543db953aaf411b9c0d9ed2f2d3537d2024-02-09T04:31:07ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Veterinary Science2297-17692024-02-011110.3389/fvets.2024.13513611351361Physiological changes in captive elephants in northern Thailand as a result of the COVID-19 tourism ban—stress biomarkersJarawee Supanta0Jarawee Supanta1Janine L. Brown2Janine L. Brown3Janine L. Brown4Pakkanut Bansiddhi5Pakkanut Bansiddhi6Pakkanut Bansiddhi7Chatchote Thitaram8Chatchote Thitaram9Chatchote Thitaram10Veerasak Punyapornwithaya11Khanittha Punturee12Patcharapa Towiboon13Nopphamas Somboon14Jaruwan Khonmee15Jaruwan Khonmee16Jaruwan Khonmee17Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, ThailandCenter of Elephant and Wildlife Health, Chiang Mai University Animal Hospital, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, ThailandCenter of Elephant and Wildlife Health, Chiang Mai University Animal Hospital, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, ThailandElephant, Wildlife, and Companion Animals Research Group, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, ThailandSmithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Center for Species Survival, Front Royal, VA, United StatesFaculty of Veterinary Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, ThailandCenter of Elephant and Wildlife Health, Chiang Mai University Animal Hospital, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, ThailandElephant, Wildlife, and Companion Animals Research Group, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, ThailandFaculty of Veterinary Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, ThailandCenter of Elephant and Wildlife Health, Chiang Mai University Animal Hospital, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, ThailandElephant, Wildlife, and Companion Animals Research Group, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, ThailandFaculty of Veterinary Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, ThailandDepartment of Medical Technology, Faculty of Associated Medical Sciences, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, ThailandCenter of Elephant and Wildlife Health, Chiang Mai University Animal Hospital, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, ThailandSmall Animal Hospital, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, ThailandFaculty of Veterinary Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, ThailandCenter of Elephant and Wildlife Health, Chiang Mai University Animal Hospital, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, ThailandElephant, Wildlife, and Companion Animals Research Group, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, ThailandThe international travel ban instituted by the Thai government in March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic greatly affected how tourist camp elephants were managed, with reductions in exercise opportunities, longer chaining hours, and diminished food provisioning. This study was conducted to determine how those changes affected health and welfare biomarkers in individual elephants over the 2 years of the countrywide lockdown (April 2020–April 2022). Blood and fecal samples were collected from 58 elephants at six camps (monthly in Year 1, quarterly in Year 2) and analyzed for stress biomarkers — fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (fGCM), serum oxidative stress [malondialdehyde (MDA) and 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG)], and stress leukograms. Overall, fGCM concentrations increased within the first few months and remained higher than pre-COVID levels, as did the H/L ratio, a measure affected by cortisol. Serum 8-OHdG, an indicator of DNA oxidative damage, also increased over time, while monocytosis and lymphopenia further suggested alterations in immune function as a result of stress. By contrast, another marker of oxidative stress, serum MDA, declined, possibly in response to reduced roughage and supplement intake. A notable finding was a seasonal pattern of fGCM that was significantly different from previous studies. Whereas higher fGCM during the rainy season were observed in this study, previously, concentrations were highest during the winter, high tourist season. Thus, ironically, both the presence and absence of tourists have been associated with increased fGCM concentrations, albeit for different reasons. Camp management factors negatively affecting stress outcomes included shorter chain lengths, longer chain hours, lack of exercise, and reduced roughage and supplements. Overall, it was clear that camps struggled to maintain adequate care for elephants during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the importance of tourist income and need for contingency plans to cope with potential future disruptions to tourism.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2024.1351361/fullAsian elephantwelfareglucocorticoidsstress leukogramoxidative stressmalondialdehyde |
| spellingShingle | Jarawee Supanta Jarawee Supanta Janine L. Brown Janine L. Brown Janine L. Brown Pakkanut Bansiddhi Pakkanut Bansiddhi Pakkanut Bansiddhi Chatchote Thitaram Chatchote Thitaram Chatchote Thitaram Veerasak Punyapornwithaya Khanittha Punturee Patcharapa Towiboon Nopphamas Somboon Jaruwan Khonmee Jaruwan Khonmee Jaruwan Khonmee Physiological changes in captive elephants in northern Thailand as a result of the COVID-19 tourism ban—stress biomarkers Frontiers in Veterinary Science Asian elephant welfare glucocorticoids stress leukogram oxidative stress malondialdehyde |
| title | Physiological changes in captive elephants in northern Thailand as a result of the COVID-19 tourism ban—stress biomarkers |
| title_full | Physiological changes in captive elephants in northern Thailand as a result of the COVID-19 tourism ban—stress biomarkers |
| title_fullStr | Physiological changes in captive elephants in northern Thailand as a result of the COVID-19 tourism ban—stress biomarkers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Physiological changes in captive elephants in northern Thailand as a result of the COVID-19 tourism ban—stress biomarkers |
| title_short | Physiological changes in captive elephants in northern Thailand as a result of the COVID-19 tourism ban—stress biomarkers |
| title_sort | physiological changes in captive elephants in northern thailand as a result of the covid 19 tourism ban stress biomarkers |
| topic | Asian elephant welfare glucocorticoids stress leukogram oxidative stress malondialdehyde |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2024.1351361/full |
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