Black wildebeest
Black wildebeest act as hosts to a number of external and internal parasites. A study of the animal in Karroid Mountainveld (Eastern Cape Province, South Africa) revealed the presence of all the larval stages of the nasal bot flies "Oestrus variolosus" and "Gedoelstia hässleri". The first instar larvae of "G. hässleri" were found in large numbers on the dura mater of wildebeest calves, specially between June and August, and these later migrated to the nasal passages. Repeated outbreaks of mange (scab) have led to large-scale extinctions. The first study of the protozoa in blue and black wildebeest showed the presence of 23 protozoan species in the rumen, with "Diplodinium bubalidis" and "Ostracodinium damaliscus" common in all the animals.
Wildlife SOS
ECCC serves as a model centre where humane management and training of elephants is practiced in a country where traditional management methods involving abuse and starvation have been in wide use for centuries. The main objective of the Wildlife SOS Elephant Conservation and Care Centre is to ensure the safety and protection of elephants in the wild while pioneering humane, modern and scientific management of elephants in India as a replacement of traditional methods of management that are fraught with risks to the elephants, owners and mahouts.
The Asiatic black bear ("Ursus thibetanus"), also called the Moon bear, is one of four species of bear found in India. The range of the Asiatic black bear extends across the Himalayas, from Bhutan to Pakistan. It is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red list.