Fibroleiomyoma in elephant uterus

The result of the histological diagnosis from postmortal investigation of the Indian elephant (Elephas maximus) uterus structure is presented in the current study. The rare anatomical finding showed altered nodular part from the uterus wall. Through conventional and histochemical staining neoplasmatic formations were determined and diagnosis Fibroleiomyoma was established, which should not be accepted as the prime cause for the animal's death.     

Salmonella infection in the African elephant and the black rhinoceros

Summary Salmonellosis in two captive African elephants and a black rhinoceros is described. Necropsy findings and characters of the salmonellae isolated are outlined. Possible sources of infection are discussed and on the basis of their findings, the authors make recommendations for the care of newly captured wild animals.

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Sumario Se describe Salmonelosis en dos elefantes Africanos en cautiverio y en un rinoceronte negro. Se delinean los hallazgos de necropsia y los caracteres de las Salmonelas aisladas. Se discuten las posibles fuentes de infection y sobre la base de sus hallazgos, los autores hacen recomendaciones para el cuidado de animales salvajes recientemente capturados.

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Résumé On décrit l'infection salmonellique chez deux éléphants africains en captivité et chez un rhinocéros noir. Les signes nécropsiques et les caractères desSalmonella isolées sont rapportés. Les auteurs, après avoir discuté des sources possibles d'infection et en se basant sur leurs observations, font des recommandations au sujet des précautions à prendre pour les animaux sauvages récemment capturés.

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On secondment from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Veterinary Investigation Centre, Norwich, U.K.     

Oesophageal choke in an African elephant.

A young African elephant suffered a fatal obstruction of the caudal oesophagus caused by an ingested apple. This report describes the attempts made to relieve the obstruction and the subsequent post mortem findings.     

The Lido as Venice's refuse tip: Dalmatian sheep and the 1819 elephant

The Lido of Venice is an island twelve kilometers long and between a hundred and one thousand meters wide. The citizans of Venice and many turists can't imagine today, what Lido was some centuries ago Initially totally sandy, it was fertilized by means of a continuous supply of Venice's garbage (the "scoasse"). In addition to the "scoasse", damaged foodstuffs and the waste of the vegetable market were also sent to the Lido. Other fertilisers originated from the dung of the cattle and sheep arriving by ship from Dalmatia, which were landed on the Lido, where they could pasture before slaughter to regain weight lost during their voyage. The sheep dung, especially, was important for the proto-industrial production of saltpetre, a material of the greatest strategic importance, like uranium at the present time. Saltpetre is the most important component of gun powder, which was the only explosive known up to the second half of 19th century. There were plans to establish an "artificial nitriary" in the Lido, making use of the garbage and of the animal waste. In all probability, the most bulky item ever buried in the Lido is the corpse of an enraged elephant, which escaped from its cage on the Riva degli Schiavoni where it was performing during the 1819 carnival, and was killed by a cannon shot in a church where it took refuge. The original title of the paper, published in Italian is: V. Giormani, II Lido di Venezia "scoassera" della città. I montoni dalmati e l'elefante del 1819, in Atti del III Convegno nazionale di storia della medicina veterinaria, Lastra a Signa (Firenze), 23-24 settembre 2000, a cura di Alba Veggetti, Brescia, 2001, pp. 333-339. Other information has been added in order to facilitate non-italians readers and articles appearing after the publication of the Proceedings of the Third National Congress for the History of Veterinary Medicine, Lastra a Signa, (Florence), Italy, have also been used. I am deeply grateful to Mrs. Mary Moors for the translation from Italian and for editorial assistance in the production of this article.