Abstract
The genetic diversity and population structure of 136 captive Thai elephants (Elephas maximus) with known region of origin were investigated by analysis of 14 highly polymorphic microsatellite loci. We did not detect significant indications of inbreeding and only a low dif- ferentiation of elephants from different regions. This is probably explained by the combined effects of isolation by distance and exchange between different regions or between captive and wild elephant populations. Estimates of effective population sizes were in the range of 90-240 individuals, which emphasizes the necessity to guard against inbreeding as caused by the current use of a restricted number of breeding bulls.
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