Table 5. Seasonal effects on body condition, adrenal steroid hormones and health factors in elephants.
Mean (±SEM) and range values in body condition scores (BCS), fecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FGM) concentrations, lipid panel measures and metabolic factors across the summer, rainy and winter seasons of female Asian elephants (n = 33) in Thailand.
| Parameters | Summer | Rainy | Winter |
|---|---|---|---|
| BCS | 3.20±0.13a (3.00–4.00) |
3.48±0.08ab (2.00–5.00) |
3.62±0.08b (2.00–5.00) |
| FGM (ng/g) | 47.40±1.79a (11.42–147.00) |
47.3±1.15a (11.90–132.38) |
60.00±1.95b (15.45–194.17) |
| TC (mg/dL) | 38.70±0.88b (20.00–109.00) |
36.00±0.45a (10.00–77.00) |
38.20±0.46b (22.00–60.00) |
| TG (mg/dL) | 25.10±1.70a (4.00–157.00) |
29.20±0.86ab (6.00–88.00) |
30.40±1.10b (7.00–110.00) |
| HDL (mg/dL) | 12.50±0.25c (2.00–26.00) |
11.10±0.13a (5.00–26.00) |
11.70±0.16b (7.00–21.00) |
| LDL (mg/dL) | 25.80±0.57a (12.00–89.00) |
27.70±0.56b (8.00–107.00) |
29.40±0.46b (9.00–67.00) |
| Glucose (mg/dL) | 92.90±1.13b (65.00–160.00) |
83.60±1.13a (50.00–180.00) |
92.90±1.56b (52.00–172.00) |
| Fructosamine (mM) | 0.60±0.004b (0.48–0.77) |
0.59±0.004ab (0.38–0.92) |
0.58±0.003a (0.45–0.77) |
| Insulin (ng/ml) | 0.76±0.08ab (0.02–3.37) |
0.59±0.05a (0.03–2.67) |
0.94±0.09b (0.03–5.91) |
| G:I | 207.00±19.60 (34.41–721.56) |
188.00±11.90 (38.17–713.17) |
163.00±12.40 (22.67–612.53) |
a,b,cSeasonal mean values are significantly different across each row (p<0.05).
TC = total cholesterol; TG = triglycerides; HDL = high density lipoproteins; LDL = low density lipoproteins; G:I = glucose to insulin ratio
Summer: 16 February–15 May, rainy: 16 May–15 October, winter: 16 October–15 February