James
Smithson, MA, FRS (1765 - 1829) was an English chemist and mineralogist. He
published numerous scientific papers for the Royal Society during the late
1700s as well as assisting in the development of calamine, which would
eventually be renamed after him as "smithsonite". Born in Paris, France as the illegitimate
child of Hugh Percy, the 1st Duke of Northumberland, he was given the French
name Jacques-Louis Macie. His birth date was not recorded and the exact location
of his birth is unknown. At the age of twenty-two, he adopted his
father's surname of Smithson and travelled extensively throughout Europe,
publishing papers about his findings.
Smithson
never married and had no children; therefore, when he wrote his will, he left
his estate to his nephew, or his nephew's family if his nephew died before
Smithson. If his nephew were to die without heirs, however, Smithson's will
stipulated that his estate be used "to found in Washington, under the name
of the Smithsonian Institution, an establishment for the increase and diffusion
of knowledge among men." In 1835, his nephew died and so could not claim
to be the recipient of his estate; therefore, Smithson became the patron of the
Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. despite having never visited the
United States. He died in Genoa, Italy on 27 June 1829, aged 64. The
Smithsonian Institution simply, the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and
research centers administered by the Government of the United States.
The
Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute began as the
dream of William Temple Hornaday, chief taxidermist at the Smithsonian. During a trip to the western United States in
1887, he was shocked and troubled by what he didn’t find—large herds of
American bison. The species, which once roamed the American West by the
millions, was reduced to a few hundred animals. The bison’s near extinction
sparked Hornaday’s crusade to save it and other endangered species from
disappearing completely. He became the first head of the Department of Living
Animals at the Smithsonian later that year, and brought 15 North American
species to live on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
.. .. .. this post
is about Ambika, a 72-year-old elephant
which was gifted to the U.S. in 1961 on behalf of children of India, was “humanely
euthanised” by veterinarians at a national zoo in Washington. Estimated to be
the third oldest Asian elephant in the North American population, Ambika was
euthanised at the Smithsonian National Zoo.
Sad, Ambika, the
beloved eldest member of the Smithsonian National Zoo’s Asian elephant herd,
was euthanized yesterday, March 27, following a recent and irreversible decline
in her health. The Zoo reports that Ambika’s age was estimated to be around 72
years, making her the third oldest Asian elephant in the North American
population. She lived longer by almost three decades than other female Asian
elephants under human care. In a recent
article by Michael E. Ruane in the Washington Post, describing the arduous and
careful task of determining when an elephant’s advancing age and illnesses
require euthanasia, the Zoo’s chief veterinarian Don Neiffer said: “when you
get to the point when the animal can’t be made comfortable, can’t interact with
its herdmates, can’t move around its enclosure, . . . honestly, we shouldn’t
even be at that point. We should have made our call well before that.”
In a release, the
Zoo reported that last week: “Keepers noticed that Ambika’s right-front leg,
which bore the brunt of her weight, developed a curve that weakened her ability
to stand. Though she had some good days and some bad days, staff grew concerned
when she chose not to explore her habitat as much as she normally would or
engage with her keepers or elephant companions, Shanthi and Bozie. In
discussing Ambika’s overall quality of life, the elephant and veterinary team
strongly considered Ambika’s gait, blood-work parameters, radiographs,
progressions of her lesions and her tendency to occasionally isolate from
Shanthi and Bozie. Given her extremely old age, decline, physically and
socially, and poor long-term prognosis, they felt they had exhausted all
treatment options and made the decision to humanely euthanize her.”
Steven Monfort, the
Zoo’s director, announced the animal’s death- stating that it is not an
exaggeration to say that much of what scientists know about Asian elephant
biology, behavior, reproduction and ecology is thanks to Ambika’s participation
in our conservation-research studies. Firsthand, she helped shape the
collective knowledge of what elephants need to survive and thrive both in human
care and the wild. Her extraordinary legacy and longevity are a testament to
our team, whose professionalism and dedication to Ambika’s well-being and
quality of life exemplifies the critical work our community does to save these
animals from extinction.” Keepers, who often mourn their animals as friends and
family, described Ambika as having a “sense of humor” especially at mealtimes.
She was a “persnickety eater,” who would arrange her grains to her liking
before eating.
Ambika was one of
the most researched elephants in the world. Keepers trained her to voluntarily
participate in daily husbandry care and medical procedures, allowing animal
care staff to routinely monitor her health. Ambika’s euthanasia took place in the Elephant
Barn. The Zoo’s other elephants Shanthi and Bozie, who had long bonded with the
elderly female, were not present for the procedure, but were offered time to be
with their deceased herd mate. Scientists have long suggested that elephants
undergo a grieving process that includes the exploring of the body as
recognition of the death. “Elephants will commonly touch the temporal glands,
ear canal, mouth and trunk tip. Often, they will make a rumble vocalization
while inspecting the body,” said the Zoo’s release.
Born in India
around 1948, and captured in the Coorg forest at about age 8, Ambika was used
as a logging elephant until 1961. She came to the Zoo as a gift from the children
of India. Most notably, Ambika was the
first elephant to receive the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) vaccine to
prevent leiomyomas—fibroids in the uterus—which are a known cause of mortality
in Asian elephants in human care.
Smithsonianmag.com
further adds that as a public health
precaution due to Covid-19, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation
Biology Institute is temporarily closed to the public. Upon reopening, visitors
to the Elephant Trails habitat can view the Zoo’s male elephant, Spike, and
five female elephants: Shanthi, Bozie, Kamala, Swarna and Maharani. Meantime,
visitors to the Zoo’s website can watch them on the Elephant Cam.
Dakshayani, an
elephant at the Chengalloor Mahadeva Temple, famous with the title ‘Gaja
Muthassi’ died last year at Kerala, having lived the longest for 88 years.
With regards – S.
Sampathkumar
1st Apr
2020.
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