Blog Archive

Nothing further to report on the Lion Introductions as the Lions took a back seat to our other Big Cats.

The Carnivore Department had a very busy day on December 18th.  A dental specialist was in Adelaide for a couple of days and the Zoo’s Carnivore Department took day one.  Animals we had detected may have dental issues were looked at on a priority basis…and “Carnivore Dental Day” started very early.

‘Assiqua’, a female Sumatran Tiger, was the first to go under the dentists' drill…and, as usual with this particular Tiger, the procedure went perfectly.  Assiqua has only been at Adelaide Zoo for 1 year yet the longer we work with her the more we adore her.  I’m sure you’ll hear (read) more about her in the future. 

With Assiqua safely back in her lock-away recovering from the anaesthetic and surgery, the team got to work on the next Carnivore. ‘Tuan’, our breeding (and only male) Tiger, was next and he succumbed to the drug-cocktail quietly and very relaxed…just the way we like it. His teeth required a lot of work, particularly his top left canine which had broken close to the gum.  This was a longer anaesthetic than the first one, yet went just as smoothly and Tuan recovered very well also.

'Perak', our male Binturong was then caught up and brought to the hands of the dental vet who quickly determined work was required.  Perak’s anaesthetic didn't run as smoothly as the Tigers had and we have noted this on his records for future reference should he require further veterinary care.

Finally, 'Ambar', our 16 year-old male Persian Leopard was darted with anaesthetic and our last dental/health check was underway.  I'm happy to report that his teeth required no work at all which is fantastic for a carnivore of his age.  His general health check came back with no real surprises and he recovered from his visit to the dentist very well indeed.

We went home rather tired that night yet pleased that "Carnivore Dental Day" had gone so smoothly.  The Carnivore Team could relax knowing we had done our bit.  The Primate Team however were not so lucky..."Primate Dental Day" was tomorrow.