I really do hope at some point Paignton will opt for African elephants full circle. Hope the lassie is doing well ....
A bit of information here too, 15 vets and a 4 hour operation! Duchess the elephant has eye removed by 15 vets in four-hour operation - mirror.co.uk
I think 15 vets was a slight exageration,as most of the people were helpers like gardners, cleaners etc......and of course the 'curator'....... Should not always believe what you read in the papers and I should know.....
Visited the 'Grand Dame' yesterday, she seemed to be okay allthough her ears were flat back and she was having what appeared to be a little 'zzzzzzzzzzzz' gently swaying whilst she was in the corner of the enclosure rear end in the corner and right facial side against the upright bar In answer to the press thingy I did see a camera man /reporter on his way up to the house. I hope she makes a speedy recovery
Can you explain the logistics of how that worked? Sorry, edited your post instead of quoting it, my mistake.
The Daily Mail(I think it was) recently carried the most ridiculous article about an elderly male Gorilla at Melbourne Zoo 'newly introduced' to a group and being 'tired out' after mating with all the females in short succession, whereas in reality he has been with them several years and doesn't breed at all. They really shouldn't be allowed to publish this tosh.
Here's the latest update on Duchess from the local Herald Express: http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/D...nt-recovering/story-14270594-detail/story.htm In case the link doesn't work: Duchess the Paignton Zoo elephant recovering well Thursday, December 29, 2011 PAIGNTON Zoo vets are monitoring the progress of an elephant after ground-breaking surgery. The zoo’s African elephant Duchess became the first elephant in the country to have an eye removed during an operation earlier in December. Ghislaine Sayers, Head of Veterinary Services for Paignton Zoo, said: “Her eye is swollen. We have drained fluid from it, which seemed to make her feel a lot better. She is taking her morphine but she was avoiding the food with her antibiotics in. “Unusually for an elephant, she does not have much of a sweet tooth, and we think the first antibiotics were too sweet for her. We tried her with some different antibiotics and she took those, so fingers crossed. It can be like caring for a toddler – a four tonne toddler!” Neil Bemment, Curator of Mammals, added: “She is eating normally and behaving normally. Elephants have an acute sense of smell and terrific hearing which serve them well in the wild, so she is well aware of things happening around her.” Animal experts at Paignton Zoo – a registered charity – have been caring for Duchess, a 42 year-old African elephant, for some time using eye-drops and pain relief. Duchess has had cataracts - opacity of the lens - in both eyes for some time. She also had glaucoma - increased pressure of the fluid in the aqueous chamber – in her right eye. The two conditions left her with no sight in her right eye and limited sight in the left. Among the outside experts caring for Duchess are ophthalmologists Jim Carter (from South Devon Referrals) and David Gould (from Dick White Referrals), anaesthetist David Burton, John Lewis from the International Zoo Veterinary Group and Ian Sayers (also from South Devon Referrals)
She is not acting normally at all. She is till standing in the corner, holding on to the enclosure steel work. Face tight against it. Front right leg raised as though limp. If anyone saw how she was today, I think they would be appalled. She is getting thinner. Having not been for 6 months, there is a very clear and saddening deterioration in her condition. Seeing her in such a sad state ruined today. The rest of the zoo is going down hill faster than Alberto Tomba.
A friend asked me about Duchess a couple of days ago and I said I was afraid the writing was on the wall for her. This does not sound good. I'd say hopefully Satan caught her on a bad day, but her getting thinner makes it sound otherwise. What else did not impress you Satan?
That sounded rather disturbing. Do you feel able to elaborate on the last comment? Poor old Duchess. How old is she?
RE - Duchess. We visited a few days after Gay was put to sleep, She was nothing like she is now. She appeared more subdued after Gay went, but soon appeared to perk up, she was out eating everything in and around her enclosure. Today was a little breezy at the top of the zoo so I could understand her staying in, but she didn't move at all. We watched her for 10 minutes or so. Her trunk around a steel upright, with it resting in a tire. Her head was down. It was a very depressing site. I would love to be wrong, and she is just taking longer than they thought to get over the op. My last statement, is purely my opinion of how the zoo appears. There were probably less than 200 people in the zoo today, most of those were a few coaches of school children. With the economy as it is and visitor number clearly down, they don't appear to be spending what little money they do have very wisely. They are ploughing on with new things, yet it feels like they are forgetting about the animals already in the collection. I hope i'm wrong but the zoo is starting to feel run down.
Wintertime generally does not seem like a good period down in Devon. As for the elephant Duchess, I really do feel it would be best for her to be with her own species at a collection holding elderly Africans (Safari Blair Drummond comes to mind or a place like WMSP). They would then be able to convert that part of the zoo into a veritable giraffe and African hoof stock safari area. Doing up the Asian animal section with anoas would also be nice .. The building IMO is not the most welcoming of structures ...
