Obesity Prevalence and Associated Factors in Captive Asian Elephants () in China: A Body Condition Assessment Study.

Obesity is a prevalent health issue among captive wildlife, but the obesity status of captive Asian elephants () in China has not been systematically investigated. This study assessed obesity in 204 captive Asian elephants across 43 facilities by recording seven potentially relevant variables: sex, age, daily feed supply, proportion of high-calorie feed, outdoor enclosure area, outdoor time, and foot disorders. Body condition was evaluated using visual scoring, revealing a high prevalence of overweight and obesity, particularly in zoo-kept elephants.

Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus 1, 4 and 5 in China: Occurrence in Multiple Sample Types and Implications for Wild and Captive Population Surveillance.

Elephant endotheliotropic herpesviruses (EEHVs) are important causes of death in both captive and wild Asian elephants (). Nothing is known about the prevalence of EEHVs in wild or domestic elephants in China. To determine if EEHVs are present in elephants in China, 126 wild elephants from three populations and 202 captive individuals from zoos ( = 155) and the Wild Elephant Valley ( = 47) were screened using semi-nested polymerase chain reaction assays with EEHV-redundant and EEHV1/4/5-specific primers.