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Zoo Miami’s pair of spotted hyenas recently underwent a series of procedures as part of a comprehensive preventative medicine program designed to assess the overall health of an animal while addressing any potential issues that may be developing prior to them becoming serious.
In addition to routine procedures such as blood and urine collection, teeth cleaning, and general examinations of the eyes, ears and throat, several specific exams also were performed addressing the reproductive condition of the pair as well as concerns regarding foreign items that were believed to have been ingested and could pose serious health risks.
With the assistance of Dr. Linda Penfold and her team from the South-East Zoo Alliance for Reproductive Conservation (SEZARC), sperm was collected from the 6-year-old male named, “Obi,” to examine his level of fertility. It was determined that Obi is indeed a healthy male with an excellent sperm count. Dr. Penfold was able to store three vials of healthy sperm for future applications.
“Maxi,” the nine 9-year-old female, received an ultrasound exam to evaluate her reproductive tract and consider whether she may be a good candidate for artificial insemination in the future. The genitalia and reproductive tracts of hyenas are quite unique and different from other carnivores. The team was pleased to see that there were no apparent issues that would preclude this pair of from reproducing in the future.
Finally, both hyenas had their gastrointestinal tracts scoped to see if they had any foreign materials in their stomachs. Some foreign items, including rubber mulch, were indeed seen in the stomach of the female, Maxi. The veterinarians will be monitoring her closely to ensure that she is able to pass these items naturally. In the past, she has required surgery to remove similar items that she was not able to pass and could have proven fatal.
Unfortunately, these foreign items are things that zoo patrons either purposely throw or accidentally drop onto the animal’s habitat without realizing that doing so can have critical, even fatal consequences.
Though Zoo Miami is removing the rubber mulch from the public areas surrounding the hyena habitat, it is only one example of a variety of items that have been thrown or accidentally dropped onto exhibits and have had to be surgically removed, putting Zoo Miami animals at great risk.
