Elephant birth complicated after induction. I need to vent.

[Belle]

Last night the news reports were all abuzz talking about the elephant who's going to be born at the Oregon zoo. I just looked at the news report and the elephant was born motionless after the mother was induced. Am I the only one who thinks this was preventable? It just makes me angry.

http://www.kgw.com/news-local/storie...r_.9a587d.html

Rose-Tu's baby was born Saturday but it was not immediately clear if the male calf was healthy. After more than eighteen hours in labor, zoo veterinarians induced Rose-Tu Saturday and her calf was born just before 4 p.m. Saturday afternoon. Zoo veterinarians confirmed that the elephant calf was born motionless and that Rose-Tu began nudging and kicking at the baby, trying to encourage it to stand. While experts said this can be common elephant behavior, zoo keepers intervened when they became concerned that the adult elephant may have become too aggressive near her calf

It didn't say how she was induced, but how do they know what amount of pitocin to give an elephant in labor? They haven't had a baby elephant born at this zoo in 14 years, when this mother elephant was born. Why couldn't they just let her labor on her own instead of inducing her at 18 hours? No wonder captive elephants have a 30% mortality rate.

Mods, sorry if this is in the wrong place.

[Kidzaplenty]

It didn't say that the baby died. Or did I miss something?

It does bother me when doctors can't let things progress normally and naturally. But, not being their, I guess I can not really say if it was a good move or a bad move.

[laralee16]

If healthy, the new baby could be in the elephant viewing room, ready to see zoo visitors in a couple of days.

Seems like it is not dead yet

[JessicaTX]

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index...egins_lab.html

[paquerette]

But seriously, isn't screwing with human women enough for them?! They have to do this to yet another species? Aaaaaaarg!

[Kidzaplenty]

I am glad the baby survived.

But I do agree that they should leave nature alone, in most cases. In both animals as well as women.

[jennyfah]

From the oregonlive.com article:

"Experts said it's not uncommon for births to slow or even to stop for a time before beginning again, Keele said."

Seriously, I think we need those veterinary experts to educate some OBs in our culture on that particular point.

-Jen

[aurora_skys]

jeez... i wonder if they even "let" her walk around :

[momm-i-o]

That must have been some kind of EFM!! I wonder how the momma felt about the internal heartrate moniter for the baby! Surely they didn't do those things but give me a break!!! I read about our Denver zoo once where they had "heroically saved a baby condor". Same deal, they hadn't had one born in awhile in captivity that lived so they were extra ansy about it. The article was in the zoo news magazine congratulating the vets and zoo team for their marvelous efforts in "saving" this baby bird from certain death. Apparently the bird had finally turned a corner in the NICU and they were all glad it was going to live. Of course they had to help the bird break out of its shell to begin with because it wasn't strong enough to. I know next to nothing about birds but I do know they get stronger because of the effort it takes to break out of the shell and in fact most birds who are helped don't make it on the outside. That was the last zoo membership I got. Why can't we learn from so many mistakes?

[Belle]

Originally Posted by JessicaTX

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index...egins_lab.html

I'm glad the baby survived. It didn't seem like it did in the original story that I posted. Last night they had the elephant on a web cam and I was glad that they had left the expecting mother in her herd. That would have really stressed her out to take them away. It sounds like they induced her and did multiple ultrasounds on her during her labor. Its maddening.

As far as walking, they had her in the smallest pen. They're trying to get funds to upgrade the elephant pens to 6 acres. They've got 6 (now 7) elephants in around 1 acre of area.

[Belle]

Here's some tidbits from a story last week when she was still pregnant.
http://blog.oregonlive.com/oregonian..._awaits_a.html

Volunteers monitor her round-the-clock, watching for signs of labor. The veterinary staff draws blood daily, looking for a drop in the hormone progesterone. When it plummets, labor should start within five days

Finnegan and his crew have studied footage of previous births. They've gathered gear --everything from oxytocin, a medication that speeds labor, to a human breast pump for stimulating milk production.

Their most unusual medical tool: a winch mounted to a forklift, in case they need to pull the calf out of the birth canal.

Caesarean-section is not an option; an elephant apparently never has survived one. However, veterinarians have had some success with a surgery similar to an episiotomy, making room to reach inside and try to assist the calf during a difficult birth.

Unlike some zoos that tether cow elephants during labor and delivery, Portland's has elected to leave Rose unchained inside the barn, along with Shine and Chendra, the zoo's other cows.

This one's a relief.

[elanorh]

I think sometimes zoos interfere unnecessarily in the birthing and breastfeeding process for their animals.

From a ranch perspective, when a cow or horse or etc. is in labor, you are quite hands-off (and often a horse will stop labor if anyone is around at all). You leave them alone and only interfere if there are problems. It sounds like all the poking and prodding, even if she was around other cow elephants, probably caused her labor to stall. And then they stressed her and her calf by using pitocin.

We sure have a messed up idea of what birth should be like, even among animals, don't we?

[Belle]

Here's video of the birth. http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index...egins_lab.html

[applejuice]

All animals seem to reproduce poorly in captivity. Humans need to get a clue.