Thandora
African savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana) at
Gondwana Big Five Game Reserve in South Africa

Thandora was born wild .

2013-03-06: After 23 years in captivity, an elephant at the Bloemfontein Zoo will soon be released back into the wild. Zoo officials decided to free 27-year-old Thandora after the death of her companion. She will soon be joining a Herd of elephants in the Gondwana Game Reserve in the Western Cape.

2013-06-13: Thandora was found dead.

The oligosaccharides present in the milk of an African elephant (Loxodonta africana africana), collected 4 days post partum, were separated by size exclusion-, anion exchange- and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) before characterisation by 1H NMR spectroscopy. Neutral and acidic oligosaccharides were identified. Neutral oligosaccharides characterised were isoglobotriose, Gal(β1�4)[Fuc(α1�3)]GlcNAc(β1�3)Gal(β1�4)Glc, Gal(β1�4)[Fuc(α1�3)]GlcNAc(β1�3)Gal(β1�4)[Fuc(α1�3)]GlcNAc(β1�3)Gal(β1�4)Glc, Gal(α1�3)Gal(β1�4)[Fuc(α1�3)]GlcNAc(β1�3)Gal(β1�4)Glc and a novel oligosaccharide that has not been reported in the milk or colostrum of any other mammal: Gal(α1�3)Gal(β1�4)[Fuc(α1�3)]GlcNAc(β1�3)Gal(β1�4)[Fuc(α1�3)]GlcNAc(β1�3)Gal(β1�4)Glc. Acidic oligosaccharides that are also found in the milk of Asian elephant were Neu5Ac(α2�3)Gal(β1�4)Glc, Neu5Ac(α2�6)Gal(β1�4)Glc, Neu5Ac(α2�3)Gal(β1�4)[Fuc(α1�3)]Glc, Neu5Ac(α2�6)Gal(β1�4)GlcNAc(β1�3)Gal(β1�4)Glc, Neu5Ac(α2�3)Gal(β1�4)[Fuc(α1�3)]GlcNAc(β1�3)Gal(β1�4)Glc, Neu5Ac(α2�6)Gal(β1�4)GlcNAc(β1�3)Gal(β1�4)[Fuc(α1�3)]GlcNAc(β1�3)Gal(β1�4)Glc and Neu5Ac(α2�6)Gal(β1�4)GlcNAc(β1�3){Gal(α1�3)Gal(β1�4)[Fuc(α1�3)]GlcNAc(β1�6)}Gal(β1�4)Glc, while Neu5Gc(α2�3)Gal(β1�4)Glc, Neu5Ac(α2�6)Gal(β1�4)GlcNAc(β1�3)Gal(β1�4)[Fuc(α1�3)]Glc, Neu5Ac(α2�6)Gal(β1�4)GlcNAc(β1�3)[Gal(β1�4)GlcNAc(β1�6)]Gal(β1�4)Glc and Neu5Ac(α2�6)Gal(β1�4)GlcNAc(β1�3){Gal(β1�4)[Fuc(α1�3)]GlcNAc(β1�6)}Gal(β1�4)Glc have not been found in Asian elephant milk. The oligosaccharides characterised contained both α(2�3)- and α(2�6)-linked Neu5Ac residues. They also contain only the type II chain, as found in most non-human, eutherian mammals.

References

Sources used for this article is among others:

• http://blog.africageographic.com/africa-geographic-blog/news/thandora-death-shocks-experts/
  
• http://www.iol.co.za/dailynews/news/zoo-elephant-to-be-released-in-reserve-1.1481547#.UTcEmlcnzp8
  
• Structural characterization of oligosaccharides in the milk of an African elephant (Loxodonta africana africana)

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