A surgery of extraction of a tusk to the elephant Grand at Tbilisi Zoo ended successfully. It lasted for more than 3 hours.
Gerhard Steenkamp, one of the world’s top veterinarians and Adrian Tordiffe, a veterinary doctor responsible for anesthesia arrived from South Africa to perform the operation.
The mentor of Tbilisi Zoo from European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) Marjo Hoedemaker (Elephant Foundation) is also in Tbilisi. Georgian veterinary doctors worked with foreign specialists.
The infected tusk posed a threat to the elephant’s health. Grand is 23. It was brought from Yerevan Zoo several years ago. It had both tusks damaged. The first surgery was performed in 2014 by the British doctors. The operation lasted for 11 hours.
Grand was put into a deep sleep in his cage. Medical tools and equipment were prepared. A crane was parked in proximity in case the elephant slept in an inconvenient position for the surgery.
The shooting team of BBC is in Tbilisi to prepare a story about Grand for its new TV series Big Animal Surgery.
