How a fecal transplant saved a dying baby elephant
In short: When a newborn Asian elephant was rejected by her mother and unable to digest her formula, her survival hung in the balance. This video explores the high-stakes medical intervention used by Smithsonian experts to save her life.
After being rejected by her mother at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, baby elephant Linh Mai began losing weight because she could not process her formula. To save her, a team of curators and microbial ecologists performed a fecal microbiota transplant—a procedure that involves transferring healthy bacteria to restore her digestive system.
The video features insights from specialists including microbial ecologist Sally Bornbusch and clinical nutritionist Erin Kendrick. It highlights the precise science behind selecting the correct 'poop' for the treatment, illustrating the extraordinary lengths taken by conservationists to ensure the survival of a single large mammal.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: The Baby Elephant and The Elixir of Poo
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