To Whom It May Concern:

With over 43 years of experience with elephants ranging from infant
bottle babies to full grown bulls I have a wealth of knowledge from the
school of hard knocks and am willing to share this information to help
preserve the species.

Below please find my responses to the questions listed for your survey.

I find the last two questions to complicated to answer in a short amount
of space with the computer. I would however like to elaborate further on
these topics.

I would appreciate a personal visit to discuss these matters.

Sincerely,

Murray Hill

\* What are the causes of arthritis in elephants?

 

I am sure that there are causes contributing to arthritis that we still
don\'t know about. The ones we do know about at the present time are
being on concrete.  Putting a softer surface over the concrete helps
considerably.  I have tried dirt, that didn\'t work for me as it meant
changing the dirt continuously and either replacing it with fresher dirt
or cleansing the existing dirt.  I have been using wood, preferably oak,
as there is enough give under the weight of the animal and still a solid
floor.

 

For transportation (circus elephants), the air bags can be adjusted so
that there isn\'t much shock going over rough road.

 

I have been in both situations, still operation and over the road, found
these to be the best as none of my elephants developed arthritis.  I\'m
sure there are other factors as there are in humans.

 

\* What, if any, foot care practices have been used on captive elephants
to maintain healthy feet?

 

The trimming of the pads, cutting of the nails and rasping the nails, 
In many cases I have seen that the pads are cut too far back and I have
only cut pads when they would grow out the sides.  If the bottom of the
pad is smooth, even if there is crevasses other than clean the crevasses
to make sure there isn\'t foreign matter in it I have found they work it
down to where it should be if they are on a solid surface.  The cutting
of the nail should be even with the bottom of the pad.  I have seen too
many cases where the nail was cut to short and it bled making it
vulnerable to infection.  The rasping of the nail does nothing but open
the nail to infection.  It takes the protective covering off the soft
areas of the nail; it also opens a greater possibility to splitting the
nail.  That\'s a whole different situation.

 

\* What floors are best for captive elephants?  Are there any flooring
conditions that promote foot problems?

 

Concrete is the worst situation for elephants, in fact for any animal
including humans.  I know that there are new materials that I am told of
that does the job but I have found that a good oak hardwood has kept my
elephants in good shape.  It has to be replaced from time to time but I
have found it excellent.  Soft wood (pines, etc.) would have to be
replaced more often and would be more susceptible to bacteria.

 

\* Do captive elephants require a certain amount of exercise (i.e.
walking) to maintain healthy feet?

 

They should have a minimum of walking daily.  I have found that it is up
to individual if it is in an uncontrolled situation (in a small pen). 
In open area I find that they walk as much as they want to.  In
a performing situation, that in itself is more than enough exercise.

 

\* What industry / professional standards are available for elephant
care and husbandry?

 

\* Are there any other health or care issues related to elephants that
should be specifically addressed to the AWA standards?