Zoo surgery helps protect species

The orangutans of Melbourne Zoo were happy to have Suma, the oldest female of the clan, back home after she underwent surgery to remove a mass that was growing on her backside.

Suma’s keepers noticed the lump and alerted the Zoo’s vets including Dr Jade Patterson, who then enlisted the expertise of Dr Glenn Edwards, a soft tissue surgeon from the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Veterinary Science.

“Thankfully, the mass turned out to be a bacterial infection that had developed from a foreign body lodged in the area,” Dr Edwards says.

“We were able to fully remove the mass and Suma is making a full recovery back with her family at the Orangutan Sanctuary.”

Dr Edwards attributes the success of Suma’s diagnosis, management and recovery to the teamwork between keepers, zoo vets and the University of Melbourne that allows expertise to be shared.

Dr Edwards is a seasoned zoo animal surgeon having assisted Melbourne Zoo’s veterinarians for over 20 years by providing his expertise for cases requiring specialist skills. During this time he has operated on a wide range of animals including tigers, seals, rattlesnakes, lions, spider monkeys, giraffes, snow leopards, elephants and more.

Despite the obvious differences between these animals, Dr Edwards explains that every mammal actually has similar muscle and bone structure and it is really just a matter of adapting to different sizes and physiology.

This field of veterinary science is of growing significance as zoo-based conservation programs continue to expand to meet the increasing biodiversity management challenges.

Dr Edwards explains that care of zoo animals is not only important for individual animal health, but also for conservation of the species.

“Quite a number of procedures we do are on endangered animals, and it is important that we ensure the longevity of the individual animal, which in turn helps zoo conservation programs,” he says.

And Dr Jade Patterson shares this passion for zoo animal surgery and conservation.

“The zoo animals act as ambassadors for their wild relatives. Zoo visitors can learn about the issues the species face in the wild,” Dr Patterson explains.

Dr Patterson is currently undertaking further training and is doing a Masters in Zoo and Wildlife Medicine and Surgery with the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Veterinary Science and Melbourne Zoo.

As part of this graduate degree, Dr Patterson does clinical work at Melbourne Zoo as well as working on a research project in wildlife health.

“This extra training in zoo and wildlife medicine equips me with some great skills that I hope to use to help out in a range of conservation programs,” Dr Patterson says.

Dr Edwards and Dr Patterson are keen to pass on their passion for zoo and wildlife medicine and work hard to mentor aspiring zoo vets.

“The Melbourne University vet students often come to zoo surgeries with me in small groups to observe. This gives them exposure to surgical principles in a wide range of species,” Dr Edwards says.

http://www.vet.unimelb.edu.au/
http://visions.unimelb.edu.au/episode/108