Elephant Book and Disease Module Distribution

 Biology, Medicine, and Surgery
of Elephants

Elephant Care International and Wildlife Information Network
Collaborate to Distribute Elephant Healthcare Information in Asia

The first treatises on elephant healthcare – the Hastiayurveda and Gajasastra – were written in Asia over 2000 years ago. It was not until the 1800’s that scientific articles began to appear. However, despite the fact that one third of all Asian elephants are in captivity, no modern comprehensive text on elephant medicine and surgery has existed until the recent (August 2006) publication of Biology, Medicine, and Surgery of Elephants.

While Biology, Medicine, and Surgery of Elephants was being written, Wildlife Information Network was developing a CD module: Elephants: Diseases and Treatment.

Our two organizations are now collaborating to distribute the book and CD to facilities and veterinarians in Asia that are actively involved in elephant healthcare.

With funding from the Columbus Zoo and Nancy Abraham, ECI has purchased 120 copies of Biology, Medicine, and Surgery of Elephants from Blackwell and Wildlife Information Network has donated Elephants: Disease and Treatment CDs.

Books and CDs will be sent to elephant vets, wildlife agencies, and zoos in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Laos, Viet Nam, Indonesia, Bangladesh, China, and Cambodia. 

Information exchange and technology transfer are critical to the survival of elephants. Only by sharing resources and knowledge across borders can we hope to save elephants in the wild and improve the healthcare and welfare of elephants in captivity.

Elephant Care International and Wildlife Information Network are proud to collaborate on this worthwhile project.