Open AccessRaging elephants: effects of human disturbance on physiological stress and reproductive potential in wild Asian elephants
Author(s) -
Ruchun Tang,
Wenwen Li,
Di Zhu,
Xiaobang Shang,
Xulin Guo,
Li Zhang
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
conservation physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.942
H-Index - 37
ISSN - 2051-1434
DOI - 10.1093/conphys/coz106
Subject(s) - disturbance (geology) , elephas , asian elephant , biology , ecology , population , poaching , wildlife , endangered species , habitat , demography , sociology , paleontology
The current study investigated effects of human disturbance on population-level stress responses and stress-related effects on reproduction of wild Asian elephants. The results indicate that human disturbance poses environmental challenges to wild elephant populations leading to an increased stress response and suppressed reproductive function. The study demonstrates the efficacy of non-invasive endocrine monitoring for further informing management decisions and developing conservation strategies.