Tusk fractures

Rose et al. 2022: Elephant tusk fractures are a management and medical challenge that can escalate into life-threatening complications. Out of 459 elephants included in a survey, 85 elephants incurred at least one fracture during a period of 10 years.  The most common causes of fractures were conspecific interactions (44.6%), caught tusk in an enclosure or enrichment item (28.4%), and a strike by the elephant of a tusk with an object (12.2%). For social causes, unstable hierarchy (45.5%) and specific agonistic interactions (36.4%) were the most frequently cited fracture causes. Steel gates were associated with 23.8% of fractures caused by enclosure elements. Management changes including tusk trimming, enrichment, training, and re-arranging social groups were found to be important in reducing subsequent fractures, with odds ratios showing that a second tusk fracture was 6.37 times more likely to occur if no management changes occurred after the first fracture. The data of this survey suggests that targeted management strategies in herds with maturing males, unstable social dynamics, and/or high-risk enclosure elements could reduce the frequency of tusk fractures.