December 30, 2023 Issue, Page 3 of 8

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December 30, 2023 The Elk City News -3 OKC Zoo Scientists Conduct Chairman McBride Acknowledges First-Of-Its-Kind Study To Learn Walters’ Subpoena Response How Elephants Use Odors To OKLAHOMA CITY - Rep. Mark McBride, R-Moore, today released a statement acknowledging State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters’ compliance with a recently issued sub- Identify Unfamiliar Elephants poena. The subpoena required delivery of records and communications requested by the House Appropriations and Budget Education Subcommittee, which McBride chairs. His full statement can be found below: Elephant trunks serve many to odor and record each indi- densest human populations “I appreciate Supt. Walters’ quick compliance with the subpoena, and I have begun reviewing purposes—breathing, grasp- vidual animal's behavior. on the planet and, as a result, the delivered documents to ensure that they contain all of the information that was requested. ing and communicating among Researchers found that all vital habitat for elephants has ‘As Chairman of the Appropriations and Budget Education Subcommittee, I exercised my power them—but a new study from six of the Zoo's participating been reduced by 85% in 40 to subpoena the superintendent to produce these records, but I wish it would not have had to Oklahoma City Zoo scientists elephants indicated an ability years. Asian elephants are also come to that. My focus has always been, and will continue to be, doing what is best for Oklahoma shows off the olfactory prow- to differentiate odors based susceptible to EEHV, a fast- students. It is my hope that moving forward, the extreme, but sometimes necessary, process of ess of the animals and could on Denver Zoo's elephants’ re- moving elephant herpes virus that affects elephants in the using a subpoena will not be needed, and the superintendent will more openly and willingly com- lead to new ways to protect the productive status (musth and wild and in human care with a municate with members of the Legislature. The Legislative Branch is constitutionally charged with endangered species. non-musth) and_ individual 60% fatality rate. oversight of the budgets of certain departments, including the Oklahoma State Department of As a conservation organiza- identity. These results demon- Over the last two decades, Education (OSDE). Additionally, our responsibility as elected officials is to work together for the tion, the OKC Zoo supports strate the remarkable sensory the Zoo has contributed more betterment of our state, not continuously fight to earn political clout or obfuscate the process of research to improve the future abilities of elephants and have than $450,000 to elephant- government. I will continue to review the subpoenaed documents with the hope that they fully of our world’s vanishing wild- promising implications for el- related conservation. The Zoo answer the committee’s questions and give us a more complete understanding of the processes life and wild places. The Zoo's ephant conservation. has supported a number of ele- and procedures of the OSDE under Supt. Walters’ leadership. I thank him again for his swift com- Postdoctoral Fellow in Animal “The sensory world of el- phant conservation projects is pliance, and hope for a less adversarial working relationship in the future.” Behavior, Dr. Chase LaDue ephants is very different from Asia that protect habitat with and Senior Director of Con- that of humans. Elephants boots-on-the-ground teams servation, Education, and Sci- depend much more than we that work to mitigate human- ence, Dr. Rebecca Snyder, were do upon odors to understand elephant conflict, prevent recently published in Biology each other and the environ- poaching, and reduce habi- Grant Program Now Available tat encroachment. The Zoo to Strengthen Food Supply Chain Letters (ISSN, online, 1744- ment,” said Dr. LaDue. “Our is currently the only AZA zoo 957X), a Royal Society journal study provides evidence that leading research in Sri Lanka focused on research across the the odors that elephants pro- to better understand Asian biological sciences, for their duce can also be used as in- elephant social relationships, research about the advanced dividualized olfactory “name Jand use and the impacts of Infrastructure sensory abilities of elephants tags.” As we seek to better un- tourism. Results from this re- OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Depart- through a competitive review process. and how they use odors to derstand the complex sensory search will help inform wild “Strong proposals should look to create more ment of Agriculture, Food and Forestry is enter- identify unfamiliar elephants, and social lives of elephants, elephant management in Sri ing into a cooperative agreement with the U.S. diverse local and regional market options,” Har- a first time this has been stud- new information like this can Lanka, which has high levels of Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricul- vey said, “The funding will create more economic ied in Asian elephants in hu- help us to develop conserva- human-elephant conflict. Ad- tural Marketing Service under the Resilient Food man care or wild populations. tion action plans for this en- ditionally, the OKC Zoo proud- opportunities for communities by creating new dangered species.” Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) Grant Program. ly participates in the AZA’s revenue streams for producers in Oklahoma.” Read the complete study here. Asian elephants are endan- More than $6.3 million is available in competi- Asian elephants are known gered, facing ever-changing Species Survival Plan®(SSP) tive grant funding for projects designed to build Two types of grants will be offered under the for their keen sense of smell. environments and challenges for Asian elephants and sup- resilience across the middle of the supply chain. RFSI program: Infrastructure Grants and Equip- They use odors to find food, including human-elephant ports AZA’s SAFE: Saving Ani- Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture Blayne Ar- ment-Only Grants. navigate their surroundings, conflict that threaten the spe- mals from Extinction program thur anticipates the program to increase supply Infrastructure Grants will range from a mini- avoid threats, assess potential cies’ survival. Male elephants for Asian elephants and its strategic conservation educa- chain resiliency. mum of $100,000 to a maximum of $1,000,000 mates, and, as this study pro- are likely to wander during “We're excited the RFSI Program will provide a and must be completed in two years. Equipment- poses, to identify unfamiliar musth and feed on human tion efforts. elephants by their individual crops, creating such conflict. The Oklahoma City Zoo is new opportunity for the many people and busi- Only Grants will range in value from a minimum odors. In order to gain this Information from this study in its winter hours and open nesses responsible for helping feed, fuel and award of $10,000 and a maximum award of clothe the world,” Arthur said. “This program information, Dr. LaDue con- could assist conservationists ‘Thursdays through Mondays $100,000. ducted a study that analyzed in range countries with de- from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily with should be a great resource for Oklahoma produc- Applications will be accepted for Infrastruc- the behavior of six Asian el- veloping new conservation the last entry no later than 4 ers while also helping to benefit our food supply ture Grant funding through Feb. 23, 2024. ephants at the Oklahoma City strategies using odors to deter elephants from approaching p.m. The Zoo is closed to the chain.” Applicants are invited to ask questions during Zoo including males Rex, Kan- crops and farmlands. Such ac- public during daytime hours ‘The partnership will offer grant funding to a live webinar slated for Jan. 9 at 10 a.m. For ad- dula, and Bowie and females tions are necessary for con- on Tuesdays and Wednesdays food and farm businesses that support the pro- Chandra, Asha, and Achara serving wild elephant popula- through February 7, 2024. duction of local and regional agricultural prod- ditional information about the RFSI program, after they were exposed to tions. Purchase advance tickets for ucts. contact Jason Harvey at 405-606-1477. To ap- urine from unfamiliar male el- Home to a multigenerational general admission at www.okc- ODAFF Market Development Coordinator ply, download an application from the ODAFF ephants. herd of eight Asian elephants, zoo.org/tickets. Located at the Jason Harvey said the grants will be awarded website, Dr, LaDue collaborated with the OKC Zoo is committed to crossroads of I-44 and I-35, the Denver Zoo, an Association of the care and conservation of OKC Zoo isa proud member of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) ac- credited zoo, to receive urine this endangered species and its habitats. The Zoo works with samples from their male Asian global conservation partners the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the American Al- liance of Museums, Oklahoma Place Your Advertisemsent Today by emailing and supports ongoing research to [email protected] or give elephants that the OKC Zoo's City’s Adventure District and to ensure a sustainable future elephants had never met. For for Asian elephants. Asian el- an Adventure Road partner. six days, the Zoo’s elephants ephant populations in the wild Stay connected with the Zoo were exposed to urine samples have fallen below 40,000 in- on Facebook, X, Instagram, us a call at 580-225-3000! ina controlled manner that al- dividuals. The 13 nations that Threads, Linktree and TikTok, lowed Zoo experts to observe make up the natural habitat of and by visiting our blog sto- how the elephants responded Asian elephants contain the ries. Loking fo a great fi fo your comaany? Put your help wanted in the classifieds to reach more local candidates. Send your Help Wanted to [email protected]