Each morning here I make the rounds to check on the condition of animals. Our Martial Eagle had a significant patch of red feathers on his neck which he didn’t have yesterday. Kyle & I were able to get him to fly from his perch to the ground, where we threw a towel over his eyes and then grabbed his talons. He had a gaping open wound on his neck which was deep. We took him into the clinic surgery room and put him under with a gas anesthetic. The wound was just a few millimetres from his windpipe and it was astounding that this bird was even alive. It must have caught himself on an exposed wire from the poor fencing job in his enclosure. Kyle cleaned the area, injected antibiotics, and stitched the wound (leaving a small area open to drain). During the middle of the procedure, he woke up briefly while I was carelessly holding his talons. These are formidable hunting weapons which easily can pick up mammals the size of small antelope. They don’t need to use their beak to kill. Their strong legs and razor talons pierce the body of its prey until it dies. Once per week, we feed him a live chicken. The first time I did it, I brought the chicken into his enclosure with me to release it. Mmamarapelo looked at me in horror and grabbed me by the shirt to pull me out. She told me that unless I don’t mind losing a few quarts of blood, to only release the chicken from outside the cage. I understood why after a few moments. Before the chicken even hit the ground, the eagle was in flight with claws extended. It was over before I could say “Chicken Caccitore”. After surgery, we brought him back to a small cage to prevent him from flying so the wound could heal quicker. Every day for 10 days, I inject 2 dead chicks with antibiotic and a pain reliever and feed him in his cage. He’ll be fine...he’s a tough raptor.
Less fortunate, however, was our baby elephant. He died today. Everyone here is devastated as the impact of the loss has affected the entire staff. The mother was not producing enough milk. Worse yet, it was a first-time mother and it rejected her baby. None of the other 2 females had parenting experience so the baby sat separated and needed to be hand-fed powder milk formula by its keeper. It was not getting the crucial vitamins & nutrients it needs and was losing weight drastically. Baby elephants are born at about 200 lbs and this one was barely a buck forty. The composition of natural elephant milk is a complex concoction of protein, fat, & lactose which is extremely difficult to reproduce artificially in captivity. The powder formula simply wasn’t a proper substitute. Regardless of suckling, no amount of milk can save an abandoned baby. The tragedy left me with angry questions that I had to censor. If you plan to develop a mating herd, you might want to think about including a female with parenting experience to show a new mother how to care for the offspring. This particular mom was only 11, and although sexually mature, elephants generally give birth starting around age 15 and above. The whole incident could have been avoided with better management. Ganesha, the Hindu elephant god of luck, could not work his 3rd eye charms on this trunkasaurus. Unfortunately, the Indian owner of the herd is on the Board of Directors here at Mokolodi. Open criticism might hasten my exit.
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