Haai uit The Florida Aquarium, Tampa (VS), onder het mes om onbekend voorwerp uit keel te verwijderen - Haai kan al 3 maanden niet goed eten

Shark to undergo surgery to remove object

from throat

26-02-2010 TBO.com, Tampa Bay Online, USA


TAMPA - Something is stuck in the throat of White Tip Number 3's throat and the shark can't swallow a good healthy meal. It hasn't had a good fish dinner in about three months.

During that time, veterinarians working with The Florida Aquarium have fed the shark through a tube.

The foreign object that prevented the normal diet of fish and, well, whatever else a shark eats, which is just about everything, was found about three weeks ago when an MRI was done on the beast.

Veterinarians Genny Dumonceaux and Helga Bleyaert of Florida Veterinary Specialists and aquarium veterinary technician Susan Coy will perform the surgery this morning at the aquarium to remove the pesky object.

Since December, the shark has undergone various procedures to try to figure out why it stopped eating and how to treat the problem. The shark displayed an inflamed area in its throat.

Veterinarians then conducted the MRI – the first one ever done on a live shark, aquarium officials say – which showed the mysterious object.

"Without our help," said Allan Marshall, vice president of biological operations and shark expert at the aquarium, "it was going to die."
Veterinarians plan to sedate the shark before surgery and keep it under close observation afterwards for several days to make sure the recovery is smooth, officials said.

Small, soft foods will comprise the menu for the shark for a few days after its throat has healed until it can again eat on its own, officials said.

(Bron: http://www2.tbo.com/)