Jumbo task to pull a tooth
BIT BY BIT: BULWAGI’S BROKEN TUSK REMOVED IN SEGMENTS BY SA-TRAINED VETERINARIANS
The 41-year-old elephant is mentor to two young bulls at zoo in US.
Three University of Pretoria veterinary science alumni recently reunited in the US to relieve a hefty African elephant of “toothache” by combining their skills in animal care to extract one of its tusks.
Faculty of veterinary science graduate Dr Mark Penning, who is based at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, reached out to professors Gerhard Steenkamp and Adrian Tordiffe of the university’s Onderstepoort campus to assist with the physically demanding, specialised procedure, which needed to be performed on Bulwagi, a resident of Birmingham Zoo in Alabama.
Bulwagi, a bull who was born in 1981 at a safari park in Florida, had been experiencing intermittent dental issues associated with a tusk he had fractured, possibly as a result of a fall.
In December 2010, Bulwagi joined the elephant herd at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park and, other than occasional tusk issues, appeared to be in excellent health. The nearly six-ton bull was later moved to Birmingham Zoo, where he is a mentor, protector and teacher to two younger bulls.
The long-term health and wellbeing of Bulwagi falls under Penning, who oversees thousands of Disney’s animals, including the horses that draw carriages and carry characters through the
theme parks, and more than 350 species of wildlife. He also oversees the use of animals in Disney film and TV productions.
“After developing an infection in the cracked tusk, a variety of veterinary dentists came to Bulwagi’s assistance, even going so far as to fit him with a carbon fibre cast to stabilise the crack,” Penning said.
“However, over time it was agreed that extraction of the tusk was the only way to remove the cause of the recurring infection and prevent further bouts of illness.”
Professors Tordiffe and Steenkamp have had a unique partnership since 2009: Tordiffe is able to anaesthetise a bull elephant and keep it on a level plane of anaesthesia over several hours, while
Steenkamp uses elephant dental equipment to saw, file, chisel and drill down to the apex of the tusk and safely perform an extraction.
“Doing surgery on such a big bull elephant is no simple matter,” Steenkamp said.
“Items a veterinarian takes for
granted in a small animal practice are not available for elephants.
“Simple things, like endotracheal tubes, have to be specially made at sizes that are effective in an elephant’s tracheae.
“The weight of a bull makes respiration during recumbency challenging and assistance is provided by positive pressure ventilation. Fortunately, Dr Jeff Zuba, a world authority on elephant anaesthesia, provided endotracheal tubes and a ventilator,” said Steenkamp.
“Dr Stephanie McCain and her team of animal care professionals at Birmingham Zoo were excellent hosts and spent many days preparing for the big procedure,” said Tordiffe.
“Consultant Alan Roocroft ensured that Bulwagi was safely and
ideally positioned to allow us to do our work.”
Once Bulwagi was anaesthetised, Steenkamp began the physically demanding task of splitting the tusk into segments and separating the ligament holding the tusk in place.
After three hours, the entire tusk had been safely removed, and the cavity was flushed out thoroughly.
“Once a painkiller was administered during the procedure, powerful enough to continue working as the procedure ended, Bulwagi was given the antidote drugs to wake him up.
“Within a couple of minutes, he was on his feet and slowly walking around. Soon he was eating as if he didn’t have a care in the world,” said Steenkamp.
Bulwagi was reportedly doing very well with the tusk cavity healing as expected and no sign of infection.