Browsing by Author "Perera, B.V."

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Common Health Issues of Orphaned Wild Elephants at the Elephant Transit Home in Sri Lanka
(Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Jayawardana, B.A.D.S.; Perera, B.V.; Prasad, G.A.T.
The megaherbivore, Elephas maximus maximus (Sri Lankan elephant), exists mainly in the Dry Zone of the island and contains (with) a population of around 6000. The existence of this endemic subspecies of Asian elephant is threatened by degradation, fragmentation and loss of its habitats. The Elephant Transit Home (ETH) in Udawalawe, Sri Lanka, was established in 1995 to raise, rehabilitate and subsequently release orphaned wild-born elephant calves back to the wild. The ETH attempts to minimise human contact with animals and discourage any interactions and bond formation with its staff (elephant keepers) but promotes bond formation among individuals of the group. It is a pioneering attempt of this nature for Asian elephants. The facility has released over 100 individuals from 1998 up to date. Raising orphaned young elephants on the available milk formulae has caused digestive problems. In addition to nutritional problems, wounds (natural and human-inflicted), gastro-intestinal parasitic problems, skin and musth gland infections, eye infections, external parastic infestations, etc. have been encountered. Measures taken to reduce stress among the new arrivals, nutritional management, etiology of diseases and routine practices to overcome parasitic problems were analysed between 1999 and 2008. The majority of the cases with indigestion have been due to milk-fat indigestion and are responsible for 47.61% of mortality during the study period. Among the etiology of mortality of orphans received due to primary gastro-intestinal parasitism, over 50% is due to Liver Fluke (Fasciola jacksoni). Septic arthritis (naval ill) and gun shot injuries are the main cause of septicemia in orphans-received. Veterinary practices along with measures to upgrade health management have been suggested. The reduction of annual mortality rate to below 15% reveals the effectiveness of the veterinary care and management adopted at ETH in Udawalawe.
Detection, identification, and antimicrobial susceptibility of Campylobacter spp. and Salmonella spp. fromfree-ranging Nonhuman Primates in Sri Lanka
(Wildlife Disease Association, 2019) Tegner, C.; Sunil-Chandra, N.P.; Wijesooriya, W.R.P.L.I.; Perera, B.V.; Hansson, I.; Fahlman, A.
ABSTRACT: Infections with Campylobacter spp. and Salmonella spp. are the most frequently reported causes of human bacterial enteritis. Warm-blooded animals, including livestock, pets, and wildlife, can be carriers of the bacteria and may contaminate the environment and food products. The present study investigated the occurrence of Campylobacter spp. and Salmonella spp. in fecal pat samples from free-ranging toque macaques (Macaca sinica) and tufted gray langurs (Semnopithecus priam) collected in March-May 2015 in Sri Lanka. In 58 samples from toque macaques, Campylobacter jejuni was isolated in 10 (17%), Campylobacter coli in four (7%), and Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Virchow in two (3%). None of the bacteria were isolated in the 40 samples from tufted gray langurs. Pulse-field gel electrophoresis and multilocus sequence typing identified six profiles and four clonal complexes of C. jejuni. The isolated Campylobacter spp. showed varying susceptibility to antimicrobial substances. All Campylobacter spp. isolates were susceptible to chloramphenicol, erythromycin, florfenicol, gentamicin, and streptomycin. Four of the C. jejuni were resistant to at least one of the following: ampicillin, ciprofloxacin, nalidixic acid, and tetracycline, and one of the isolates was multidrug resistant. All four C. coli were resistant to ampicillin, whereas the two Salmonella Virchow strains were susceptible to all antibiotics tested. The presence of Campylobacter spp. and Salmonella spp. in toque macaques may have an impact on the conservation of endangered primates and public health in Sri Lanka. KEYWORDS: Campylobacter spp .; Antimicrobial resistance; PFGE; Salmonella spp; conservation; nonhuman primates.
Success of Rehabilitation of Orphaned Elephant (Elephas maximus) Calves in Sri Lanka
(Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Perera, B.V.; Jayawardena, K.N.; Prasad, T.
At present, the natural range of the Asian elephant is confined to 13 countries in Asia. Compared with these countries Sri Lanka harbours more than 6000 elephants who represent approximately 10% of the global Asian elephant population. Even though Sri Lanka is an island with an extent of 65610 km2 and over 22 million people, 14% of its land has been devoted for its wildlife. Human-elephant Conflict (HEC) is, however, the major wildlife conservation issue faced in Sri Lanka. An average of about150 elephants associated with human elephant conflicts die annually and 10 to 15 elephant calves orphaned. The Elephant Transit Home (ETH) in Sri Lanka was established in 1995 for rescue and rehabilitation of orphaned elephant calves. This is the world’s first facility established for rehabilitation of Asian elephants. Over the last 21 years, ETH has received 305elephant calves as orphans from throughout the country, comprising 181 males and 124 females of ages between less than one week:14 (5%), 1 week to 3 months:105 (35%), 3 months to 1 year: 98(32%), 1 to 2 years: 47 (15%) and over 2 years:41 (13%). Orphaned elephant calves are usually found in areas where HEC is intense. The calves are usually found in a critical condition due to dehydration, starvation, poor body condition, heavy parasitic burden, infected wounds and congenital abnormalities. Of the orphans ETH has received, 137 (46%) have died with 112 (86%) of mortalities occurring within 2 months of arrival and 5 of them have died during transportation. Even though, the mortality is higher in new arrivals, after introduction to the rehabilitation group, the mortality rate is 3%. ETH has developed a process for rehabilitation and release of orphaned elephants by empirical methods, with the release of 103 rehabilitated calves a ratio of 53 males to 50 female50) back into the wild, where they are tracked and closely monitored. Among them, only 7 (5 male/2 female) deaths have been recorded, while 15 of the released females have given birth to calves. A further 21 (16 male and 5 female) elephant calves have been transferred from ETH to other elephant facilities. As of July 2016, 41 elephant calves are undergoing rehabilitation at ETH. Conflicts over space and resources between elephants and people appear to be the principal source of orphaned elephants in Sri Lanka, although some weak calves may also become orphans as a result of rejection by their mothers. The high mortality of elephant calves occurs mostly just after arrival at ETH. The successful reintegrationof released elephants with their wild counterparts and reproduction observed in the released females are the major indicators of the success of this rehabilitation program.