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Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) and African savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana) populations collectively managed by ex‐situ facilities accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) face sustainability challenges. Among the priorities to strengthen animal wellbeing and population sustainability is male elephant management. We conducted a survey of AZA facilities currently housing male elephants to assess the status, challenges, and priorities in three areas of male elephant management: musth, socialization, and semen collection. Surveys were administered to elephant care teams at AZA‐accredited institutions between November 2022 and February 2023, and we received responses from 34 institutions (91.9% of AZA‐accredited facilities holding adult male elephants), housing 32 adult male Asians and 26 adult male Africans. Most facilities prioritized breeding and male socialization over musth management and semen collection (although most facilities acknowledged that all these efforts are important), citing leadership support and staffing as most important to achieve male management goals. Behaviors most commonly accompanying musth included reduced appetite, difficulty training or shifting, human‐directed aggression, and interest in females. Musth timing was variable between males and facilities. Most males were well‐socialized with females and/or other males, though elephant compatibility and facility design were limiting factors in managing socialization. Although 60.6% of facilities collected semen or were training for semen collection, very few male elephants could reliably provide viable semen samples, challenging assisted reproductive efforts that could bolster population sustainability in both species. Together, our results provide a better understanding of the state of male elephant management, offering specific areas deserving of research and development to enhance wellbeing and sustainability. Research Highlights: We surveyed 34 AZA institutions to measure status, priorities, and challenges of major components of male elephant management (musth, socialization, and semen collection).Musth management and socialization practices widely varied between institutions, and additional research is needed to characterize implications of this variation for wellbeing and sustainability.Further capacity building is needed to enhance semen collection efforts at the population level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Monitoring overnight behavior is important in assessing the overall wellbeing of ex-situ elephant populations, with recumbent rest and stereotypy as key indicators of welfare. However, there have been few studies that address the overnight behavior of singly housed male elephants with a history of stereotypy. We conducted an opportunistic case study of the overnight behavior (i.e., rest and stereotypy) of a singly housed geriatric male Asian elephant at the Oklahoma City Zoo to identify his overnight behavioral rhythms in response to physiological (musth) and environmental changes (habitat access, automatic timed feeders) and guide management strategies. Methods: Infrared cameras were utilized to conduct continuous focal-animal sampling of the elephant's behavior between 20:00 and 08:00 in indoor and outdoor habitats. Sampling occurred from January 2023 to October 2023, with a total of 179 overnight observations. Results: The elephant exhibited recumbent rest for 175.66 ± 6.80 (mean ± SE) minutes per night and was engaged in stereotypy for 175.88 ± 9.68 minutes per night. While there was no significant relationship between stereotypy and the sexual state of musth, musth was associated with reduced durations of recumbent rest. Access to both indoor and outdoor habitats was significantly related to decreased stereotypy compared to indoor-only treatments. Recumbent rest occurred most frequently between 02:00 and 05:00, and stereotypic behavior was most common between 06:00 and 08:00. Contrary to our expectations, automatic feeders did not significantly reduce stereotypy. Discussion: The results of this study provide insight into the behavioral patterns of a geriatric male Asian elephant, demonstrating the importance of implementing an animal-centered approach to enhance animal wellbeing. As the zoo-housed Asian elephant population grows and continues to age, this case study emphasizes the importance of developing comprehensive welfare strategies for the elephants in our care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sexual selection mediated by multimodal signals is common among polygynous species, including seasonally breeding mammals. Indirect benefit models provide plausible explanations for how and why mate selection can occur in the absence of direct benefits. Musth — an asynchronous reproductive state in male elephants — facilitates both inter- and intrasexual selection via indirect benefits, and it is further communicated through a multimodal signal. In this review, we synthesise existing evidence that supports the hypothesis that musth is a multimodal signal subject to sexual selection and that male elephants increase their direct fitness by propagating this signal while females accrue indirect benefits. Musth is characterised by a suite of physiological and behavioural changes, serving to facilitate copulation between the sexes, and via multisensory modalities musth conveys honest information about the condition of a male. Female elephants mate preferentially with musth males, increasing their own fitness in the absence of direct benefits. In addition, musth resolves dynamic dominance hierarchies among male elephants and often eliminates the need for costly physical combat. Future work in this field should investigate potential postcopulatory selection mechanisms in elephants, including sperm competition and cryptic female choice. These topics join other fundamental questions related to sexual selection, signalling, and indirect benefits that are still unanswered in elephants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]