BROOKFIELD, Ill. (FOX Chicago News) -
Two veterinarians from the Chicago Zoological Society, which manages Brookfield Zoo, traveled more than 2,000 miles to Barranquilla Zoo in Colombia, South America, this past weekend to save an elephant's tusk.
The oral surgery was the first of its kind to be performed on an elephant in that country.
Tantor, a 47-year-old male African bush elephant was diagnosed with myasis—an infection common in this species—that affected the soft tissue close to his left tusk.
For the past month, Dr. Carlos Sanchez, an associate veterinarian for the Chicago Zoological Society, advised staff at the Barranquilla Zoo on how to treat and control the condition until the necessary surgery could be performed.
On June 9, Dr. Sanchez along with Dr. Michael Adkesson, also an associate veterinarian for the Society, and four other specialists, performed a three-and-a-half hour root canal.
During the successful surgery, the specialists found a considerable amount of mud inside Tantor's tusk, which he had inserted himself to try and lessen the pain that he was feeling prior to the procedure. The mud was removed before cleaning and filling the area with dental cement. Because no fracture was found, it was not necessary to extract the tusk.
"We are thrilled to donate our time and resources and the expertise we've developed over the years caring for the animals at Brookfield Zoo in order to help another zoo improve the wellbeing of an animal in need," said Dr. Sanchez.
He said the procedure is just one example of how CZS strives to discover and implement innovative approaches to zoo animal management as part of its Center for the Science of Animal Welfare (CSAW).
The CSAW program is designed to advance the science of "animal-directed" care at Brookfield Zoo by combining scientific study and animal husbandry to develop the best possible management practices.
