Kelly the Giraffe Undergoes Dental Treatment at Blair Drummond Safari Park
Vets at Blair Drummond Safari Park have carried out dental treatment on Kelly, a 14 year old giraffe.
Keepers and vets decided to carry out checks after they noticed that Kelly was having difficulty chewing her food properly. They thought there may be a problem with one of her molars, which was affecting her ability to eat.
Kelly was given general anaesthetic and a team of 12 members of staff and vets worked to examine her mouth and take dental X-rays, which will give them a clearer idea of what’s going on. Veterinary surgeon Ian Rodger had a close look at the area where food was getting trapped and an X-ray was taken. The images will enable the team to put a treatment plan into action and decide whether or not to drill to expand the gap and prevent food from getting stuck.
Mr Rodgers said that putting animals under general anaesthetic was never a decision to be taken lightly, but Kelly has been having issues for a little while now and everyone thought best to carry out the investigations. Now, the team can work to draw up a treatment plan and hopefully Kelly will be able to eat properly without any problems or pain in the very near future.
Kelly was monitored very closely throughout the procedure, which took around 30 minutes, and keepers were very relieved when she came around and stood up afterwards. Head giraffe keeper Ailsa West said that everyone had been on edge on the morning of the procedure, but everything went well and Kelly has recovered perfectly.
The park opens for the new season this Saturday, the 21st March.
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