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- Title
Working with mahouts to explore the diet of work elephants in Myanmar (Burma).
- Authors
Campos-Arceiz, Ahimsa; Thin Zar Lin; Htun, Wan; Takatsuki, Seiki; Leimgruber, Peter
- Abstract
At an elephant camp in central Myanmar (Burma), we interviewed mahouts and veterinarians to describe the diet of Asian elephants ( Elephas maximus) in a mixed-deciduous forest. Elephants showed a broad dietary breadth (103 plant species from 42 families); consumed mostly browse (94% of plant species); and were very selective about plant parts [e.g., many trees were eaten exclusively for their bark (22%) or fruits (14%)]. The fruits from 29 plant species were recorded to be eaten by elephants. Several of these were found as fruit remains, seeds, or seedlings in elephant dung, suggesting a role of Asian elephants in seed dispersal. Work elephants and their mahouts prove to be a rich source of information to understand wild elephant ecology.
- Subjects
MYANMAR; ANIMAL nutrition; ANIMAL populations; DECIDUOUS forests; PLANT species; ASIATIC elephant; TREES; BARK; FRUIT; ELEPHANTS; VETERINARIANS
- Publication
Ecological Research, 2008, Vol 23, Issue 6, p1057
- ISSN
0912-3814
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s11284-008-0466-4