Endoscopic visual anatomy of urogenital tract in female Asian elephants (Elephas maximus)

Yaduraj Khadpekar; Govind S; Niraj Dahe; Jorge Soares; Nuhacet Fernández; Tenzing L. Lachenpa; Shubham Patil; Akshay Ghatare; Vaisakh Viswam; Nikorn Thongtip; Jahan Ahmed; Nirmali Sarma

Endoscopic visual anatomy of urogenital tract in female Asian elephants (Elephas maximus)

2025

Populations of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) have been declining in the wild, mostly due to the habitat loss and conflicts with humans. The elephants under human care thus become a very important source and opportunity to study this species, as well as for the future conservation efforts through captive breeding and conservation programs. Although a lot of work has been done on the reproductive physiology of Asian elephants, there is a limited information available on the detailed anatomy of the reproductive tract. Endoscopy offers a direct visual observation of internal organs and examination of anatomy in live animals. We examined urogenital tracts of 30 female Asian elephants under standing sedation, with the flexible endoscope. The examinations were carried out as part of urogenital tract health assessment, and treatment of infections and pathologies. The distances of different parts from the external vulva opening, were measured. Detailed description of the visual anatomy of each of the urogenital tract parts through endoscope has been provided in this study.

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