2000 BC First trained for war by peoples of the Indus Valley. Not terribly effective due to tendency to retreat when assaulted.
1796 First Asian elephant brought to North America
1880 First North American elephant born in managed care was in Philadelphia, PA.
1979 Cross between African and Asian elephants at Chester Zoo, England
1985 Raja, a male elephant in managed care with extremely long tusks, declared a national treasure in Sri Lanka
Live Camera Feeds
Currently (as of 2000) 285 Asian elephants in North American facilities and 16,000 world-wide
13,000-16,500 employed throughout Asia in logging, tourism, transportation industries, and religious ceremonies
Conservation problems in Asia
Genetic survival of African and Asian elephants may depend on successful managed care breeding programs
General challenges in managed care breeding include
Csuti (2006)
Kurt (1990)
McNeely (1992)
Shoshani (1992)
Tuttle (1992)