Neonate mortality in captive Asian elephants (Elephas maximus)

One third of Asian elephants born in European zoos and circusses are stillborn (16.0%) or killed or refused by their mothers (15.7%). Stillbirths and infanticides are rare in extensively kept and wild-living elephants. Infanticide could be related to life history of the mothers: Females which had grown up in the company of an older, motherly female adopted their offsprings without complications. Those having lacked such affection, tended to kill or at least not to adopt their neonates. Stillborn calves show higher neonate weights (124.6+/-20.8kg) than surviving calves (92.0+/-27.6kg). Positive correlations were found between gestation period and neonate weight as well as between neonate weight and relative weight (body weight/shoulder height) of the mother. As female elephants in modern toes and circusses are relatively heavier than those living in Asian camps, they produce calves after longer gestation periods (644.4+/-19.5 days) with larger neonate weights (105.6+/-26.6 kg) than extensively kept females in Asia (598.1+/-51.6 days; 74.0+/-21.6 kg). Chances to survive parturition are negatively correlated with lenght of gestation and neonate weight.