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Because several elephants at sanctuary have experienced skin issues, and we have received numerous questions, we are focusing this week’s EleFact on skin health and how it impacts overall health. 

Though an elephant’s skin is thick, it is also sensitive to the elements. In the wild, or in proper habitats, they can use mud or dust baths to protect themselves from the sun. Mud and dust can also keep the skin flexible and in good condition. Elephants who don’t have access to those things can develop skin problems like calluses, dermatitis, ulcers, and hyperkeratosis (thickness of the outer layer of skin). Those who spend significant time indoors can see these problems amplified when skin dries out. Studies show that opportunities for bathing, wallowing, dusting, and scratching can prevent many common captive skin ailments. 

Elephants who stand or lie on hard surfaces can experience skin irritation, lesions, pressure sores, or abscesses–which we have seen with some elephants here. When bony areas like those on the hip or face come into contact with solid substrate, like floors or walls, problems can emerge and need treatment for an extended amount of time. 

Bambi, who arrived with a thick layer of dead skin, needed about a year to shed all of it, although it began to improve immediately–and now her skin is beautiful. But it required lots of natural intervention and plenty of baths to resolve itself. As you know, Kenya also has significant areas of dead skin on her back and sides, which will also need time and a little help from caregivers and Mother Nature to heal. Kenya’s skin will continue to get better now that she has access to all of the organic elements the sanctuary provides and that she is meant to have as a species in the natural world. After shedding dead skin, a layer of not-quite-healthy skin emerges before you finally see a normal and robust layer. Skin issues have a slow healing process and, although medical intervention is necessary in many cases to get things heading in the right direction, nature is often the best long-term medicine. 

A photo of Kenya spraying herself with mud and another photo showing a closeup of her skin today