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Smithsonian's National Zoo's Gorilla Has Fractured Tooth Repaired - Photos
Washington, DC - On February 22, Kigali—the National Zoo’s 15 year-old female western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla)—successfully underwent dental surgery for a fractured tooth. “Tooth cracks are somewhat common in animals and humans alike,” explains Dr. Suzan Murray, Chief Veterinarian and Head of the Zoo’s Department of Animal Health. Exactly what cracked Kigali’s tooth and when the fracture occurred remains a mystery to her keepers. “She never showed any signs of discomfort,” says Dr. Erika Bauer, interim Curator of Pandas and Primates. “She has consistently eaten well and chewed food on both sides of her mouth.” Left untreated, a cracked tooth could become infected. Zoo staff called upon an outside veterinary dental specialist, Dr. Barron Hall, to fix Kigali’s tooth. After a comprehensive oral health assessment and treatment (COHAT), Dr. Hall performed root canal surgery and repaired the fracture. Both Murray and Bauer remained with Kigali throughout the exam and assisted veterinary staff with transportation. In addition to dental work, Kigali also received a routine cardiac exam from Dr. Steven Rosenthal, an outside veterinary cardiologist. The information gathered from this test allows National Zoo scientists to investigate the characteristics of heart disease in gorillas. They will share their findings as part of an ongoing, multi-institutional study. Named after the capital of Rwanda, Kigali is one of seven gorillas born at the National Zoo in the past 20 years. Like other western mountain gorillas, she has a brown-gray coat of fine hair. Visitors to the Great Ape House can easily recognize her by the reddish patch of hair atop her head. According to her caregivers, Kigali is very intelligent and has a dynamic personality, often switching roles between peace keeper and instigator of the group. In captivity, western lowland gorillas can live upwards of 50 years old. In their native tropical forests of Western and Central Africa, however, a gorilla’s lifespan is limited to about 35 years. Increased hunting, outbreaks of the Ebola virus and poorly-regulated development projects threaten these great apes as well as their habitats. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species lists the western lowland gorilla as critically endangered. Photo credit: Mehgan Murphy, National Zoological Park Photo 1: Dr. Barron Hall performs a root canal on Kigali. Photo 2: Dr. Steven Rosenthal performs a routine cardiac exam on Kigali, a western lowland gorilla. To view Smithsonian’s National Zoo's web page on Zoo and Aquarium Visitor, go to: http://www.zandavisitor.com/forumtopicdetail-3223-Smithsonian's_National_Zoo |
By Jennifer Zoon
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Unusual to have three snow leopard cubs
Congratulations to ABQ BioPark and the proud cat parents on the birth of three snow leopard cubs. That's fantastic news and we look forward to these three playing an important role in snow leopard survival breeding and also helping educate people about their endangered cousins in the wild.
Snow leopards live in some of the most extreme environments on earth - in high altitudes and freezing temperatures. If we don't do a lot of work with communities and governments in snow leopards 12 range countries, these beautiful cats may be extinct in the wild in our life time.
Sibylle Noras
Founder and Publisher
“Saving Snow Leopards” website. See how conservationists and zoos are working to help these rare and elusive cats avoid extinction.
http://www.snowleopardblog.com
Love penguin fluffballs.
I especially liked if you go to the zoo's homepage and click on the info about naming the baby, the winner says she'd like to be able to tell her dad that a penguin was named after him for his birthday. Adorable!
If you have any interest in reading a new blog, featuring conservation of adorable animals and their habitats, please check out my website...
Conservation:Cute
http://conservationcute.blogspot.com/
Thanks!
World Oceans Day
For more information about World Oceans Day and a list of other events in your area you can visit www.WorldOceansDay.org
Elephants
Asome news on the new baby! I agree with everyone here on the fact that animals should not be in captivation. If you want to check out a really cool place in Thailand where you can care for elephants check out http://www.elephantstay.com this place is a sanctuary for retired working elephants, it's an amazing place and they do so much good for the animals who live there. I went a few months ago and it was amazing.
Kimberly Juchnowski
Publisher, http://www.tikikiki.com
zoo animal diet's
It's ridiculous to try extrapolate zoo animals diet to human beings, and it flies in the face of all science of the last 30 years that looked into nutrition and health research. Maybe Rudy Socha was being sarcastic? I hope so.
response to starseed
I fully agree with you when it comes to the captivity of orcas. These animals live considerably shorter, unhealthier lives than they normally would have in the wild. I am disgusted by what I have seen at Sea World. They claim to be trying to educate people on the animals when really it is all nothing but a circus with the animals being made to perform to attract customers. I am a little more on the fence however when it comes to some other species of dolphins, such as the ones they keep at Vancouver Aquarium. While I do not support the capture of wild dolphins, I do recognize the fact that there are species that actually live longer and perhaps healthier lives in captivity than in the wild. One of the neat things at the Vancouver Aquarium is that none of the dolphins were captured for the purpose of entertainment: they were all animals that were rescued after getting caught and injured in fishing nets and are unable to return to the wild due to their injuries. I have seen the shows and the aquarium are truly focused more on educating visitors than trying to entertain them at the animals' expense.
Christian's Award
I know that Christian is dedicated to her aquarium job and to the rehab of sea turtles. I am proud of her.
Dry Tortugas National Park
The seashore, our accredited Summer Learning Adventure Camps merge scientific exploration Dry Tortugas National Park with hands-on fun and learning. Campers investigate marine habitats, create ocean art projects, learn about careers in oceanography, and combine the science and sports of surfing and snorkeling, all while making new friends and memories.
hey
http://www.deafmatching.com is an online community for deaf, ASL and hearing-impaired friends and singles!
Have fun with photos, message boards, chat, blog and more.
Don't support it anymore
I think we should move on from having dolphins in captivity now - we all know this isn't good for them.
diabetes
diabetes
pacaya samiria national reserve
The Pacaya Samiria National Reserve is a magical place. The flora, fauna, remoteness and beauty are exquisite. Another interesting aspect is how the indigenous people there live. To learn more and see photos taken by indigenous children in the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve, you can visit ninosdelaamazonia.org
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