Positive signal for Asian elephant conservation in Belgium

The birth of the baby elephant at Pairi Daiza is a testament to the effectiveness of controlled breeding programs, offering hope for conservation efforts in Asia's elephants as their numbers decline globally.

According to a VNA reporter in Brussels, Belgium's Pairi Daiza zoo has just announced that it has welcomed a baby Asian elephant born on the night of August 21.

Mother elephant Soraya, 14 years old, gave birth smoothly in the cage under the close supervision of veterinary team and care staff.

Immediately after birth, the mother elephant helped her baby stand up, showing that both mother and baby are in stable health.

A representative of the care team said the birth was safe and that all staff were on duty for many hours to ensure the process went smoothly.

Previously, mother elephant Soraya gave birth to a baby elephant in December 2020, named Sayun.

However, in August 2023, Sayun died from an infection with elephant herpes virus (EEHV), a dangerous disease commonly found in young Asian elephants.

Therefore, the event of Soraya giving birth for the second time is considered to have special significance for the conservation and breeding of this species.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) is listed as an “endangered” species, with an estimated population of only 40,000-52,000 individuals remaining in the wild, living in 13 Asian countries.

The extinction risk of this elephant species comes from habitat loss, conflict with humans and diseases, including EEHV.

For many years, Pairi Daiza Zoo has been implementing research and conservation programs for Asian elephants.

The Pairi Daiza Foundation supports the establishment of an EEHV diagnostic laboratory in Belgium, in collaboration with the Zoolyx veterinary laboratory in Aalst. From 2023, the foundation is collaborating with a research team at Utrecht University (Netherlands) to develop an EEHV vaccine.

Late last year, the vaccine was first tested at the Rotterdam Zoo (Netherlands) on six adult elephants. The results showed that the vaccine was safe, creating the premise for expanding testing on young elephants in the near future.

The birth of the baby elephant at Pairi Daiza is considered a testament to the effectiveness of controlled breeding programs, and brings hope to efforts to conserve Asian elephants in the face of a global decline in numbers./.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/tin-hieu-tich-cuc-cho-cong-toc-bao-ton-voi-chau-a-tai-bi-post1057664.vnp