Original Research

A method for determining the extent of thermal burns in elephants

A. Shakespeare, S. Strydom
Journal of the South African Veterinary Association | Vol 77, No 2 | a347 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/jsava.v77i2.347 | © 2006 A. Shakespeare, S. Strydom | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 07 June 2006 | Published: 07 June 2006

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A. Shakespeare,
S. Strydom,

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Abstract

A practical method was developed to assess the extent of burns suffered by elephants caught in bush fires. In developing this method, the surface areas of the different body parts of juvenile, subadult and adult elephants were first determined using standard equations, and then expressed as a percentage of the total body surface area. When viewed from a distance, the burnt proportion of all body segments is estimated, converted to percentages of total body surface area, and then summed to determine the extent of burns suffered.

Keywords

Burn Extent; Elephants; Thermal Burns

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Crossref Citations

1. Population and Individual Elephant Response to a Catastrophic Fire in Pilanesberg National Park
Leigh-Ann Woolley, Joshua J. Millspaugh, Rami J. Woods, Samantha Janse van Rensburg, Robin L. Mackey, Bruce Page, Rob Slotow, Robert Brooks
PLoS ONE  vol: 3  issue: 9  first page: e3233  year: 2008  
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0003233