AssetID: 55240766
Headline: RAW VIDEO: Sabu the elephant gets his painkilling injections
Caption: Sabu, Cincinnati Zoo’s 37-year-old bull elephant, is undergoing injections to cure his joint pain. Many people, particularly athletes, experience joint pain and often rely on medication or joint injections for relief. But pain management is far less straightforward for the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’s 10,000-pound (4,500kg) beast. “Oral anti-inflammatory medications provide relief for humans and smaller animals, but Sabu needed more to treat significant arthritis in his elbows,” said Dr Mike Wenninger, the zoo’s director of animal health. “In consultation with a pain medicine specialist, we decided that Arthramid injections were the best option for him.” Procedures requiring sedation—especially for animals of this size—are only undertaken when quality of life is at stake. In Sabu’s case, it was clear the 37-year-old bull elephant was suffering from pain that limited his mobility and disrupted his sleep. “Since receiving the injection in June, we have seen improvement in Sabu’s mobility and his behaviour around the females in the herd,” said Dr Wenninger. “About three months after the injection, he lay down overnight and he’s been laying down to sleep every night since then.” The complex procedure was a true team effort, involving the zoo’s elephant care team, public safety staff, facilities department, specialists from the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, and pain management expert Dr Matt Brunke. The treatment is expected to provide long-lasting relief, potentially lasting between one and five years—a result many at the zoo say made the monumental effort worthwhile. “While there was risk for Sabu, we believe this treatment will give him the best chance to improve and have a longer life. This was no small undertaking (figuratively AND literally)!” said Christina Gorsuch, the zoo’s director of animal care. “We hope that it will also make breeding with the females in Cincinnati Zoo’s herd easier for him.” Sabu has already fathered two calves—one born last week and another earlier this summer—while he was residing at the Columbus Zoo during the construction of Cincinnati Zoo’s Elephant Trek. “He’s still figuring things out with the newer females here,” added Ms Gorsuch. “We know that they are fertile, and he is too, so we hope it’s just a matter of time before we can make a happy announcement here in Cincinnati.”
Keywords: feature,photo,video,elephant,natural world,nature
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