PMID: 20649148Jul 24, 2010Paper

Vaccination against GnRH may suppress aggressive behaviour and musth in African elephant (Loxodonta africana) bulls--a pilot study

Journal of the South African Veterinary Association
H M De NysA M Human

Abstract

Aggressive behaviour and musth are constant problems in captive and sometimes in free-ranging African elephant bulls. Aggressive bulls are difficult and musth bulls almost impossible to manage without severely restricting their movement either by leg-chaining or using tranquillisers. This study investigated the relationship between faecal androgen metabolites (FAM) and faecal cortisol metabolites (FCM) concentrations and aggressive behaviour and tested a GnRH vaccine as a means of down-regulating aggressive behaviour and musth in 1 free-ranging and 5 captive elephant bulls. The bulls were non-aggressive (n=3), aggressive (n=2) or in musth (n=1) at the onset of the study. The bulls were injected with a GnRH vaccine-adjuvant combination 3 or 4 times at 3- to 7-week intervals. Behaviour, FAM and FCM concentrations were measured during every week prior to vaccination until 4 months after the last vaccination. FAM concentrations were positively correlated with aggressive behaviour before the 1st vaccination. Androgen production, as reflected by FAM concentrations, was down-regulated in 3 of the 6 immunised bulls. At least 2 bulls and possibly a 3rd showed behavioural improvement following GnRH vaccination and in all 3 temporal gland...Continue Reading

Citations

Sep 27, 2008·Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine : Official Publication of the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians·Jessica Siegal-WillottMargaret Blaik
Oct 23, 2012·Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine : Official Publication of the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians·Nancy C BoedekerJanine L Brown
Oct 16, 2014·Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine : Official Publication of the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians·Imke LuedersCheryl Niemuller
Sep 29, 2015·American Journal of Reproductive Immunology : AJRI·Rajesh K Naz, Ashley E Saver
Sep 28, 2016·Reproduction in Domestic Animals = Zuchthygiene·H J Bertschinger, P Caldwell
Oct 10, 2019·Revista Da Sociedade Brasileira De Medicina Tropical·Derek Andrew RosenfieldCristiane Schilbach Pizzutto
Sep 14, 2018·Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine : Official Publication of the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians·Indunil N PathiranaHiromichi Tamada
Dec 24, 2020·Equine Veterinary Journal·John R BirrellHenk J Bertschinger

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