Woodland Park Zoo Blog

When an elderly patas monkey was diagnosed with painful kidney stones, our zoo vets went to work to relieve her discomfort in the least invasive way possible. After consulting with urologist Dr. Joseph Marquez from Seattle's The Polyclinic, the zoo's animal health experts decided to use a procedure that, though used often on humans, is uncommon on zoo animals. The 15-year-old monkey, named Fiona, was treated with a high-tech procedure that blasts kidney stones to passable pieces by repeated exposure to sound waves. Using a lithotripsy machine, generously supplied by NextMed, to send the sound waves, the team was able to break down Fiona's kidney stones into hundreds of small pieces that could then pass through her urinary tract. Fiona is recovering well now at the zoo's award-winning African Savanna exhibit. After just one day, she was feeling much better than she had in the weeks leading up to the procedure, according to her vets. Photo of procedure by Ric Brewer.

A wild, male, juvenile black bear that was captured in an area around Renton by the state's Department of Fish and Wildlife had suffered a dislocated hip and a fractured femur and the Progressive Animals Welfare Society based in Lynnwood (otherwise known as PAWS) was asked to help care for the bear's injuries. With help from the zoo's Animal Health team, the PAWS veterinarians and animal health care members, and surgeons from Seattle's Animal Surgical Clinic, a full exam was performed and surgery to repair the damaged leg. Dr. John Huckabee with PAWS reports that the surgery was successful and the bear is now on the mend and recovering his mobility in his cast. PAWS has a long-time, and very successful, wildlife rehabilitation program and the zoo was delighted to be able to help provide professional support and facilities for the procedure. PAWS and the zoo have collaborated on several projects in the past, including the state laws banning private ownership of potential

You know how rough your cat's tongue is when it licks your hand? Imagine that magnified on a grand scale with the tongue of a lion! Jake, our 17-year-old male lion went under anesthetic last week to get a full physical exam. Our veterinary health team gave him the once over to see how this elderly fellow was doing (they generally can live up to about 20 years in captivity and around 16 in the wild). One of the amazing aspects that one sees are the rows and rows of hooked appendages on their tongue. Called papillae, they are located at the tongue’s center. Papillae form backward-facing hooks containing large amounts of keratin, the same material found in human fingernails. These hooks provide the abrasiveness a cat needs for self-grooming. The strength of these hooks also helps a cat hold food or struggle with prey and are great for licking meat off the bone.

The baby gorilla is doing very well and the doctors from Children's Hospital were extremely pleased at how well the surgical incision is healing. She's using her arms and legs normally and is picking up weight. She and mother Amanda are out in the exhibit intermittently most days that it's warmer (anything under 45 degrees and they stay in where it's toasty!). Photo by Ryan Hawk

The baby is doing very well and was reunited with her mother shortly after she recovered from the anesthetic. The doctors say that her prognosis for a full recovery is very good and mother Amanda readily accepted her back. One recent comment asked about vitamin supplements for the animals. All animals at the zoo have diets that are constantly examined not only by our staff, but animal nutritionists who are tops in the field. Each diet is formulated not only for that particular species, but the needs of the individual animal. Although each diet is nutritionally complete, some of the animals are given supplements, particularly in cases such as pregnancy or in circumstances where they made need additional care. We've posted a video of the day of the baby gorilla's surgery at the top right of this blog. Special note: although we've tried not too make it too graphic, there are a couple seconds that may be too much for sensitive folks!

The western lowland gorilla born at the zoo on October 20, 2007, got some "out of this world" help for a congenital spine abnormality discovered a couple weeks after her birth. Woodland Park Zoo's crack Animal Health Care Team first examined the baby and ran tests to determine the diagnosis. Once it was found that the problem was a congenital problem that could be rectified with surgery, a team of neurosurgeons and a neonatologist from Seattle's Children's Hospital volunteered their services, along with special state-of-the-art neurospinal instruments donated by New Jersey-based Integra LifeSciences Corporation. Dr. Rob Liddell of Radiology Consultants Washington provided consultation and MRI diagnostics in December. Neurosurgeon Dr. Richard Ellenbogen called it a "Star Trek-type experience" for he and his team which included Dr. Craig Jackson, Dr. Sam Browd from Children's. "(We) were proud to help with an endangered species such as the baby g

The bushbabies born on November 1 received an exam today to determine their overall health and get weights. They are growing and putting on pounds (well, grams actually!) and appear to be males (it's a little tough to tell as this age!). Mama bushbaby is a good mother, is very protective but allowed the Animal Health staff to quickly examine the little fellows without too m uch fuss. Although they may resemble something from "Gremlins", they are quite gentle. Photos by Ryan Hawk.

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. Check out the article and learn more about geriatric animal care: http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=zoo25&date=20071125&query=zoo

Staff and volunteers were saddened when Sukari , the elderly female giraffe on our African Savanna exhibit, had to be euthanized due to declining health because of age. At 25, she was extremely geriatric (giraffes in the wild usually live to be 10-15 years). Our expert Exhibits crew helped make her passing more comfortable by rigging a special platform for her to lay in. She had also had a custom-made waterbed for the last four years for her to lie down on. Keepers and the Animal Health team have been instrumental over the last few years to keep Sukari as comfortable as possible during her "golden years." Anyone with an old dog or cat knows how difficult it can be to care for an aging animal; just image when that animal is 18-feet tall! For zoo guests who grew up and remember visiting Sukari over the last 25 years, we've created a commemorative portrait, taken by our talented volunteer photographer Dennis Dow, available for purchase online through Pictopia . You can or