Longleat’s much loved gorilla, Alf, takes a trip to the dentist
One of Longleat’s most popular residents, Alf the gorilla, has paid the dentist a visit after keepers noticed that his lower jaw was slightly swollen.
Alf, a lowland gorilla, who lives with brothers, Kesho and Evindi at the safari park, was sedated and given a check-up by a specialist veterinary team after keepers spotted an area of inflammation on the lower jaw. Chris Mangham, from Garston Vets, was drafted in to have a look at Alf’s giant pearly whites. After having a good look around while was Alf was peacefully snoozing away, Chris concluded that there was nothing major to worry about, and hopefully, Alf’s jaw will recover very quickly.
While Alf was under sedation, the team took the opportunity to massage him, as he has weakness on his right side, which affects his mobility. When he first arrived at the park, his movement was fairly limited, but thanks to frequent visits from the osteopath and exercises performed with keepers, Alf is much more flexible now, explains his keeper, Lauren Bow. During the procedure, the keepers lifted and manipulated Alf’s right arm, which weighs around 150kg.
Alf and his brothers were born in Dublin and have been living at Longleat since 2011.
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