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The Star
11-07-2025
- General
- The Star
‘Oldest' elephant in captivity dies
An emotional loss for many: Vatsala was believed to have been born in the forests of Nilambur, Kerala, in the late 1910s. — The Straits Times/ANN Vatsala, thought to be the world's oldest elephant in captivity, has died at a wildlife sanctuary in India's Madhya Pradesh state. She was believed to be more than 100 years old when she died on Tuesday, though there are no records proving that as a fact. The Guinness World Record holder for oldest elephant in captivity is still Lin Wang. He died at a zoo in Taiwan in 2003 at the age of 86 and had served with the British Army in World War II. Dakshyani – another elephant in India – had also been in the running for the title. She died in captivity in 2019, and her supporters said she managed to reach the ripe old age of 88. But as far as the state government of Madhya Pradesh is concerned, Vatsala surpassed both – all three were Asian elephants – by about 20 years. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, in a post on X, said: 'The century-long companionship of Vatsala came to a pause. She was not merely an elephant; she was the silent guardian, a friend to generations and a symbol of Madhya Pradesh's emotions.' If she indeed reached the century mark, she would have lived through the Great Depression, WWII, the Cold War and 18 American presidents. Elephants on average live for about 50 to 70 years. Wildlife experts say that by the age of 70, elephants typically lose their tusks. Vatsala had been without tusks since 2000. She was believed to have been born in the late 1910s in the forests of Nilambur, Kerala. She was brought to Narmadapuram city in Madhya Pradesh in 1971 to haul timber. Going by Indian officials and wildlife experts' estimates, she was already in her 50s then. In 1993, Vatsala was moved to the Panna Tiger Reserve, where she helped rangers track tigers. She retired in 2003. The years that followed saw her play the role of 'Dadi Maa' (grandmother in Hindi) to young elephants and calves at an elephant sanctuary, where she became a top tourist attraction. 'She had a motherly nature. I saw her lovingly caress and guide the young ones as if they were her own. 'Her death is an emotional loss for the reserve staff and others who knew her,' wildlife conservationist Rajesh Dixit said. 'It is sad that her name could not be recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records.' Vatsala slipped into a drain and suffered injuries a few days prior to her death. She was given round-the-clock medical care and a special fruit-and-porridge diet, but her condition deteriorated. Vatsala was cremated at the Hinauta elephant camp, which had been her home for decades. — The Straits Times/ANN
Straits Times
09-07-2025
- General
- Straits Times
Vatsala, elephant touted oldest in captivity, dies aged over 100
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Vatsala was believed to have been born in the forests of Nilambur, Kerala sometime in the 1920s. Vatsala, thought to be the world's oldest elephant in captivity, died on July 8 at a wildlife sanctuary in India's Madhya Pradesh state. She was believed to be over 100 years old, though there are no records proving that as fact. The Guinness World Record holder for oldest elephant in captivity is still Lin Wang. He died at a zoo in Taiwan in 2003 aged 86, and served with the British Army in World War II. Dakshyani – another elephant in India – had also been in the running for the title. She, too, died in captivity in 2019, and her supporters said she managed to reach the ripe old age of 88. As far as the state government of Madhya Pradesh is concerned, however, Vatsala surpassed these two – all three were Asian elephants – in age by about 20 years. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Singapore to hire more than 1,000 new educators annually in the next few years, up from 700 Singapore COE prices rise for all categories Asia Malaysia confirms existence of document central to ex-PM Najib's house arrest bid, say reports Singapore Man who killed cats by throwing them off HDB blocks has jail term doubled to 27 months Singapore $43k fine for undischarged bankrupt doctor who failed to disclose assets worth over $4m Singapore Female primary school teacher charged over alleged sex acts with underage male student Singapore Goodbye fraudsters? Dating app Coffee Meets Bagel rolls out identity verification Asia Amid handshakes and familiar friends, Asean navigates tariffs and tension in KL Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, in a post on X, said: 'The century-long companionship of Vatsala came to a pause.' 'She was not merely an elephant; she was the silent guardian, a friend to generations and a symbol of Madhya Pradesh's emotions,' he said. If she indeed reached the century mark, she would have lived through the Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War, and 18 American presidents. Elephants live on average for about 50 to 70 years. Wildlife experts say that by the age of 70, elephants typically lose their tusks. Vatsala had been without tusks since 2000. She was believed to have been born in the late 1910s in the forests of Nilambur, Kerala. She was brought to Narmadapuram city, in Madhya Pradesh, in 1971 to haul timber. Going by Indian officials and wildlife experts' estimates , she was already in her 50s. In 1993, she was moved to the Panna Tiger Reserve where she helped rangers track tigers. She retired in 2003. The years that followed saw her play the role of 'Dadi Maa' (grandmother in Hindi ) to young elephants and calves at an elephant sanctuary, where she was a top tourist attraction. 'She had a motherly nature. I've seen her lovingly caress and guide the young ones as if they were her own. Her death is an emotional loss for the reserve staff and others who knew her,' said wildlife conservationist Rajesh Dixit. 'It is sad that her name could not be recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records,' he said. Vatsala slipped into a drain and suffered injuries a few days prior to her death . She was given round-the-clock medical care and a special fruit-and-porridge diet, but her condition deteriorated. Cataracts also affected her vision and limited her mobility. Vatsala was cremated at the Hinauta elephant camp that had been her home for decades.
Daily Tribune
27-03-2025
- Health
- Daily Tribune
Chinese doctors implant pig liver in human for first time
AFP | Paris Chinese doctors said yesterday that they had transplanted a liver from a genetically modified pig into a braindead human for the first time, raising hopes of a live-saving donor option for patients in the future. Pigs have emerged as the best animal organ donors, with several living patients in the United States having received pig kidneys or hearts in the last few years. Livers have proved trickier -- and had not previously been tested out inside a human body. But with a huge and growing demand for liver donations across the world, researchers hope that gene-edited pigs can offer at least temporary relief to seriously ill patients on long waiting lists. Doctors at the Fourth Military Medical University in Xi'an, China, announced the field's latest breakthrough in a study in the journal Nature. A liver from a miniature pig, which had six edited genes to make it a better donor, was transplanted into a braindead adult at the hospital on March 10, 2024, according to the study. The trial was terminated after 10 days at the request of the family, the doctors said, adding that they had followed strict ethical guidelines. 'Bridge organ' The patient, whose name, gender and other details were not revealed, still had their original liver, receiving what is called an auxiliary transplant. The hope is that this kind of transplant can serve as a 'bridge organ' to support the existing liver of sick people waiting on a human donor. Over the 10 days, the doctors monitored the liver's blood flow, bile production, immune response and other key functions. The pig liver 'functioned really well' and 'smoothly secreted bile' as well as producing the key protein albumin, study co-author Lin Wang of the Xi'an hospital told a press conference.
NBC News
26-03-2025
- Health
- NBC News
Chinese researchers report a pig kidney transplant and a first-step liver experiment
Chinese researchers are reporting new steps in the quest for animal-to-human organ transplants — with a successful pig kidney transplant and a hint Wednesday that pig livers might eventually be useful, too. A Chinese patient is the third person in world known to be living with a gene-edited pig kidney. And the same research team also reported an experiment implanting a pig liver into a brain-dead person. Scientists are genetically altering pigs so their organs are more humanlike in hopes of alleviating a transplant shortage. Two initial xenotransplants in the U.S. — two pig hearts and two pig kidneys — were short-lived. But two additional pig kidney recipients so far are thriving — an Alabama woman who received a transplant in November and a New Hampshire man who received one in January. A U.S. clinical trial is about to begin. Nearly three weeks after the kidney surgery the Chinese patient 'is very well' and the pig kidney likewise is functioning very well, Dr. Lin Wang, of Xijing Hospital of the Fourth Military Medical University in Xi'an, told reporters in a briefing this week. Wang, part of the hospital's xenotransplant team, said the kidney recipient remains in the hospital for testing. Chinese media have reported she is a 69-year-old woman who was diagnosed with kidney failure eight years ago. But Wang pointed to a potential next step in xenotransplantation — learning to transplant pig livers. His team reported Wednesday in the journal Nature that a pig liver transplanted into a brain-dead person survived for 10 days, with no early signs of rejection. He said the pig liver produced bile and albumin — important for basic organ function — although not as much as human livers do. The liver is a complex challenge because of its varied jobs, including removing waste, breaking down nutrients and medicines, fighting infection, storing iron and regulating blood clotting. 'We do find that it could function a little bit in a human being,' Wang said. He speculated that would be enough to help support a failing human liver. In the U.S. last year, surgeons at the University of Pennsylvania attempted that sort of 'bridge' support by externally attaching a pig liver to a brain-dead human body to filter blood, much like dialysis for failing kidneys. U.S. pig developer eGenesis is studying that approach. In China, Wang's team didn't remove the deceased person's own liver, instead implanting the pig liver near it. That 'clouds the picture,' said Dr. Parsia Vagefi, a liver transplant surgeon at UT Southwestern Medical Center who wasn't involved with the work. 'It's hopefully a first step but it's still, a lot like any good research, more questions than answers.' Wang said his team later replaced the human liver of another brain-dead person with a pig liver and is analyzing the outcome.
The Independent
26-03-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Chinese researchers report a pig kidney transplant and a first-step liver experiment
Chinese researchers are reporting new steps in the quest for animal-to-human organ transplants – with a successful pig kidney transplant and a hint Wednesday that pig livers might eventually be useful, too. A Chinese patient is the third person in world known to be living with a gene-edited pig kidney. And the same research team also reported an experiment implanting a pig liver into a brain-dead person. Scientists are genetically altering pigs so their organs are more humanlike in hopes of alleviating a transplant shortage. Two initial xenotransplants in the U.S. — two pig hearts and two pig kidneys – were short-lived. But two additional pig kidney recipients so far are thriving – an Alabama woman transplanted in November and a New Hampshire man transplanted in January. A U.S. clinical trial is about to begin. Nearly three weeks after the kidney surgery the Chinese patient "is very well' and the pig kidney likewise is functioning very well, Dr. Lin Wang of Xijing Hospital of the Fourth Military Medical University in Xi'an told reporters in a briefing this week. Wang, part of the hospital's xenotransplant team, said the kidney recipient remains in the hospital for testing. Chinese media have reported she is a 69-year-old woman diagnosed with kidney failure eight years ago. But Wang pointed to a potential next step in xenotransplantation — learning to transplant pig livers. His team reported Wednesday in the journal Nature that a pig liver transplanted into a brain-dead person survived for 10 days, with no early signs of rejection. He said the pig liver produced bile and albumin — important for basic organ function — although not as much as human livers do. The liver is a complex challenge because of its varied jobs, including removing waste, breaking down nutrients and medicines, fighting infection, storing iron and regulating blood clotting. 'We do find that it could function a little bit in a human being,' Wang said. He speculated that would be enough to help support a failing human liver. In the U.S. last year, surgeons at the University of Pennsylvania attempted that sort of 'bridge' support by externally attaching a pig liver to a brain-dead human body to filter blood, much like dialysis for failing kidneys. U.S. pig developer eGenesis is studying that approach. In China, Wang's team didn't remove the deceased person's own liver, instead implanting the pig liver near it. That 'clouds the picture,' said Dr. Parsia Vagefi, a liver transplant surgeon at UT Southwestern Medical Center who wasn't involved with the work. 'It's hopefully a first step but it's still, a lot like any good research, more questions than answers.' Wang said his team later replaced the human liver of another brain-dead person with a pig liver and is analyzing the outcome. According to media reports, another Chinese hospital last year transplanted a pig liver into a living patient after a piece of his own cancerous liver was removed but it's unclear how that experiment turned out. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
