Abstract
Asian elephant, Elephas maximus is placed in Schedule I and Part I of Indian Wildlife Protection Act (1972) conferring it the highest level of protection. In higher mammals like elephants, reproductive success exclusively depends on odour produced from female during oestrus phase and response made by the male before mating. The odours released by the females qualitatively vary with the reproductive state namely during pre-oestrous, oestrous and post-oestrus periods. The present study aimed to identify and compare the volatile profiles of urine samples of male and female Asiatic elephants in captivity. From our assay it was found that peculiar pheromonal carrying compounds namely p-Cresol, 9-Octadecenal, 9-Hexadecenal, 13-Octadecenal and 6-Octadecenoic acid were present only in female urine sample when compared with the male urine sample. In SDS-PAGE analysis, it was confirmed that the protein with low molecular weight protein below 20 kilo daltons has been found and it depict that these are the compounds which act as pheromone carrying lipoproteins.
Highlights
India holds the largest number of wild Asian elephants, estimated at about 26,000 to 28,000 or nearly 60% of the population of the species
With declining work due to the ban on timber logging in the country and the use of modern machinery, the traditional interest among private owners and state forest departments in managing captive elephants is diminishing
Elephants show two luteinizing hormone (LH) surges during their estrous cycles: the first LH surge occurs approximately 3 weeks before ovulation to cause non-ovulatory follicles to form accessory corpora lutea, and the second LH surge occurs around ovulation (Brown, 2000)
Summary
India holds the largest number of wild Asian elephants, estimated at about 26,000 to 28,000 or nearly 60% of the population of the species. The significance of the elephant in Indian culture and mythology, as well as its economic and military role in sub continental armies, has contributed to a remarkable level of tolerance and support of people towards its survival and conservation. The resource needs of a growing human population (over 1.2 billion people: Census 2011) of a country experiencing strong economic growth, growing and dispersing elephant populations at regional scales, shrinkage and fragmentation of elephant habitat, and increasing human-elephant conflicts emphasize the urgent need for appropriate long-term policies to manage and conserve the species (Sukumar, 2011). With declining work due to the ban on timber logging in the country and the use of modern machinery, the traditional interest among private owners and state forest departments in managing captive elephants is diminishing. Demand for elephants in temples, which once received its animals from the state forest departments, continues to increase with their stock getting depleted due to old age deaths and absence of recruitment from breeding
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