Hohenwald, Tennessee (October 19, 2007)

The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee announces its latest corporate sponsor, Abaxis. 

Abaxis has delivered a VetScan blood analyzer unit to the Sanctuary, providing an essential component for the Sanctuary’s on-site laboratory to monitor the health of the Sanctuary’s nineteen elephant residents. Abaxis responded quickly to the urgent need posted by the Sanctuary on its website wish list.

The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee has recently completed setting up a small on-site lab for routine blood work and regular monitoring of its resident elephants. This is an important step in the formation of The Elephant Health and Welfare Institute founded to house data and study the two most prevalent diseases in captive elephants, tuberculosis and osteomyelitis.  Abaxis’ mission is to supply point of care blood analyzers to the medical market and the veterinarian market; the chemistry analyzer recently delivered to the Sanctuary provides comprehensive diagnostic information in minutes at the point of care.  Carol Buckley, the Elephant Sanctuary’s Executive Director says: “The VetScan unit will be a great asset to the Elephant Sanctuary as it will provide "instant" lab results and it will also further our ability to conduct important non-invasive research.”

Operating on 2,700 acres in Hohenwald, Tennessee, The Elephant Sanctuary has been developed specifically to meet the needs of endangered African and Asian elephants. The nonprofit organization, licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, is designed specifically for old, sick or needy elephants that have been retired from zoos and circuses.  A true sanctuary, The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee is not intended to provide entertainment; resident elephants are not required to perform for or entertain the public. Instead, they are encouraged to live like elephants. As stated by Phil Snyder, former regional director of the Humane Society of the United States, "The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee represents the future of enlightened captive elephant management."  To find out more about the plight of captive elephants, and to monitor the progress of the residents of The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee please visit our website at www.elephants.com.    

Abaxis’ mission is to supply point of care blood analyzers to the medical market and the veterinarian market. Abaxis provides leading edge technology, tools and services that support best medical practices, enabling physicians and veterinarians to respond to the health needs of their clients at the point of care while operating economical and profitable practices.  Approximately 7000 veterinary clinics in the US, 23% of the US market, have purchased and are using VetScan Systems. Abaxis is headquartered in northern California, USA, and conducts operations around the world, www.abaxis.com