Giraffe's crooked neck to be X-rayed at Tulsa Zoo
03-12-2009 By SARA PLUMMER World Staff Writer, Tulsa World, USA
Tulsa Zoo officials hope to X-ray an injured giraffe’s neck this week to learn what, if any, treatment can be pursued.
Amali's neck was injured while she was bring trucked to the Tulsa Zoo from a zoo in Ohio.
An animal behaviorist has been working with Amali, the 5-year-old female giraffe who was transported from The Wilds zoo near Cumberland, Ohio, almost every day since she arrived in Tulsa on Oct. 18. Amali is being trained to walk into a giraffe restraint chute to allow X-rays to be taken of her crooked neck.
She has been eating, drinking, walking and interacting normally with the zoo’s other giraffes despite the injury, which officials noticed when she came off the truck.
The Tulsa Zoo and The Wilds investigated the injury, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums are now doing so.
Tulsa Zoo officials are trying to plan for any eventuality.
“So far she’s had a great attitude,” said Angela Evans, the Tulsa Zoo’s community relations manager.
“We’re pretty optimistic that everything will go off without a hitch, but you have to have all those what-ifs.”
If Amali seems nervous or stressed about going into the chute on the day of the X-rays, keepers won’t force her in for fear of further injuring her neck, Evans said.
Once in the chute, Amali will get a light sedative to keep her calm and comfortable before zoo workers bring in the X-ray equipment.
A few other unknowns are how Amali will behave with the extra staff members in the barn and how the sedative will affect her, Evans said.
Even if everything goes well, there’s no guarantee that the X-ray will be a good one. “It might just be our first attempt,” she said.
Zoo staff members aren’t the only ones who are interested in the outcome.
“A lot of people will be looking at these X-rays,” Evans said, adding that Tulsa Zoo personnel have been corresponding with other zoos that have faced similar situations.
“We’re collaborating with people all over the world,” she said.
The Tulsa Zoo’s report to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the USDA says the staff at the transport company, Safari Enterprises, has 45 years of combined experience transporting large animals such as giraffes.
The company uses a specially designed trailer with an elevated roof. It has transported about 400 giraffes without incident.
During the 48-hour trip from Ohio to Tulsa, the trailer was stopped every four hours to let personnel check on Amali, as per USDA regulations.
When Amali arrived in Tulsa, zoo personnel noticed the obvious crick in her neck.
The driver never reported an incident during the trip that would have caused the injury, the report says.
The AZA’s Accreditation Commission determined that its standards and best practices were followed for animal transport, and no further action will be taken.
The USDA is conducting a focused inspection, which it does whenever an animal is injured in transport, and officials will visit all three entities involved: the Tulsa Zoo, The Wilds and Safari Enterprises.
“The USDA (officials) have already come on site and done an inspection,” said Evans, adding that she sees the benefits of further investigation.
“They can do a more in-depth inspection than we can do. It could be a lengthy process. There’s nothing we can do but play the waiting game.”
(Bron: http://www.tulsaworld.com/)
(Bron foto: Tulsa World)
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