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Senior (animal) citizens


The Seattle Times published a very informative article last Sunday (November 25) about "animal senior citizens" here at the zoo. Most people don't realize that many animals in zoos are geriatric, far outliving the "average" lifespan that they would in the wild. This is due to many factors including the simple fact they do not have predators, but also due to the advance veterinary medicine practiced in zoos. Older animals are still prone to many of the same things that humans are afflicted with: arthritis, cancers, et al, but with wildlife medicine constantly changing and evolving, they are leading fuller, active lives. Veterinary medicine practiced in zoos also often leads to advances in procedures, treatments and medicines that are used to help animals in the wild.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I was raised in Anacortes WN. My gramma and grampa had friends in Mt. Vernon. They had a gorilla they brought back from Safari. His name was Bobo. Is Woodland Park where he went to live in 1957 or about?
Yes, Bobo did indeed live at Woodland Park Zoo. He came to the zoo in the 1950s and died in 1968 at the age of 17. You can learn more about him on the History Link website at http://historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=1369