An elephant on the Oakland Zoo was humanely euthanized Sunday attributable to worsening, degenerative and irreversible well being points, zoo officers stated Monday.
Lisa, a 46-year-old African elephant, had handled power age-related well being points for a number of years, in accordance with the zoo, together with eye ulcers, degenerative arthritis, foot and nail lesions and a just lately developed ventral edema, which induced extreme fluid buildup in her abdomen.
Zoo employees developed a medical care plan for Lisa in an effort to ease the ache of her circumstances, together with bodily remedy, medicine, each day foot soaks in Epsom salt and two stem-cell procedures in partnership with veterinarians at Michigan State College.
Lisa got here to the zoo in 1979 and first confirmed indicators of arthritis in 2013. She was considered one of simply 16 feminine African elephants at the very least 46 years outdated recognized to dwell in a zoo accredited by the Affiliation of Zoos and Aquariums.
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“Over time-long course of care and coverings to offer her a superb high quality of life by way of multimodal ache management, her illness progressed to some extent the place we did not need her final day to be her worst day, and it was time to do probably the most humane factor and to let her go,” stated Dr. Alex Herman, the zoo’s vp of veterinary companies. “This was the perfect factor for Lisa, however probably the most painful and heart-wrenching for all her Zoo household and the Bay Space group that has liked her for many years.”
Zookeepers on the Oakland Zoo just lately celebrated Lisa’s forty sixth birthday with an assortment of treats and piñatas stuffed along with her favourite fruits.
Her physique was transported Sunday night to the College of California, Davis’ Faculty of Veterinary Drugs for a necropsy.
“Her loss is felt by so many, particularly her carefully bonded elephant keepers,” stated Colleen Kinzley, the zoo’s vp of animal care, conservation and analysis. “We’ll miss her enormously.”
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