Russia
Curing toothaches in walruses
The walruses in Moscow Zoo can breath a sigh of relief. The toothaches that had plagued the animals are gone — thanks to the efforts of a team of specialists from the "International Zoo Veterinary Group" who treated the animals in a EUR 25,000 operation that took place in the spring of 2001 with the support of Bayer in Russia.
The ten walruses in Moscow Zoo had led a relatively carefree life — basking in the sun at the side of their pool, periodically diving down into the water, eating shellfish, snails or fish. But their natural instincts created some problems for them. In the wild, walruses use their long front teeth to scrape crustaceans from the seafloor, and they do the same thing on the cement floor in their tanks at the zoo. The consequence is that their tusks become cracked and then inflamed, resulting in abscesses that are painful and life-threatening. Many zoos are confronted with this problem, yet the situation was particularly urgent in Moscow, as the older walruses were faced with death. The rescue operation was mounted in the spring. Doctors from the International Zoo Veterinary Group, which attends to sick animals in zoos around the world, made their way to Russia — this time accompanied by a dentist.
The operation in Moscow presented a special challenge, as eight of the 400-500 kilogram walruses had to have their inflamed teeth removed. The animals' respiratory system, which is adapted to cope with long underwater excursions, required a special anesthetic using a unique respiration apparatus. The drill used to treat and remove the inflamed tusks first had to be set up.
It then took three to five hours to remove the tusks from the jaws of each walrus. Seven times the operation was a success. The spectacular operation to save the walruses has helped make Bayer just a little better known in Moscow.
The ten walruses in Moscow Zoo had led a relatively carefree life — basking in the sun at the side of their pool, periodically diving down into the water, eating shellfish, snails or fish. But their natural instincts created some problems for them. In the wild, walruses use their long front teeth to scrape crustaceans from the seafloor, and they do the same thing on the cement floor in their tanks at the zoo. The consequence is that their tusks become cracked and then inflamed, resulting in abscesses that are painful and life-threatening. Many zoos are confronted with this problem, yet the situation was particularly urgent in Moscow, as the older walruses were faced with death. The rescue operation was mounted in the spring. Doctors from the International Zoo Veterinary Group, which attends to sick animals in zoos around the world, made their way to Russia — this time accompanied by a dentist.
The operation in Moscow presented a special challenge, as eight of the 400-500 kilogram walruses had to have their inflamed teeth removed. The animals' respiratory system, which is adapted to cope with long underwater excursions, required a special anesthetic using a unique respiration apparatus. The drill used to treat and remove the inflamed tusks first had to be set up.
It then took three to five hours to remove the tusks from the jaws of each walrus. Seven times the operation was a success. The spectacular operation to save the walruses has helped make Bayer just a little better known in Moscow.
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