dailyexaminationsareanessentialpartofelephantcareanditis.docVIP

The AZA Standards for Elephant Care and Management states that all elephants must be trained for a variety of tasks encompassing: daily body exams, administration of medical care including medications, and collection of biological specimens, such as saliva. Daily examinations are an essential part of elephant care. Training for such procedures will help ensure elephants receive optimal husbandry and medical care. The following list of behavioral components, taken from the Elephant Husbandry Resource Guide, is considered the standard of elephant care and management. All elephants should be trained to consistently comply with each of the following behaviors when the handler requests it of them. Established Minimum Standards of Elephant Care Checklist and Notes Elephant handlers must be able to: 1. provide the elephant with daily skin care ? 2. perform a complete daily body exam ? 3. perform daily foot inspection and provide regular care, this includes trimming and foot x-rays as needed 4. perform daily eye examination ? 5. perform daily ear examination ? 6. perform daily open mouth and tongue examination 7. perform daily teeth examination ? 8. perform daily tusk examination and be able to trim tusks 9. collect the following biological samples as needed without the need for sedation: a urine b feces c saliva d skin biopsy e temporal gland secretion f trunk wash for tuberculosis culture g milk from lactating females ? 10. give the elephant injections as needed without the need for sedation 11. train the elephant to accept oral medications ? 12. train the elephant to accept ear or leg vein blood collection 13. treat wounds ? 14. train the elephant to enter and stay in the restraint device for: a husbandry procedures b veterinary procedures c reproductive procedures ? 15. demonstrate a method of restraint if no restraint device is present for: a husbandry procedures b veterinary procedures c reproductive procedures ? 16. weigh t