A surgery of extraction of a tusk to the elephant Grand is ongoing at Tbilisi Zoo. 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 will also work with foreign specialists.
It is not known how long it will take the vet doctors to extract the infected tusk, which poses 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 will be put into a deep sleep in his cage. Medical tools and equipment are prepared. A crane is parked in proximity in case the elephant sleeps in an inconvenient for the surgery position.
The shooting team of BBC is in Tbilisi to prepare a story about Grand for its new TV series Big Animal Surgery.
