Duisburg (dpa / lnw) – The Duisburg zoo presented a new digital X-ray machine on Friday, with which animals can be examined in the stables and the images can be evaluated directly on the laptop. “From the harvest mouse to the tiger, this is a great thing for us,” said zoo director Astrid Stewin. Thanks to the quick availability of the images, the practitioners can see immediately whether they have the necessary images “in the box”, as zoo veterinarians Carolin Bunert and Kerstin Ternes said. This helps to shorten investigations.
During the presentation, the veterinarians used the new system for an upcoming control examination of the bearded dragon “Bert”. The lizard was brought to the zoo years ago after being confiscated in very poor condition and with a broken right forearm, Bunert reported. The fracture was splinted at the zoo. In the meantime, everything has grown back together well, said Bunert after the X-ray examination.
The device, which cost around 22,000 euros, was financed entirely by the Association of Friends of the Duisburg Zoo. It has been in use since the beginning of the year and has repeatedly made a significant contribution to the diagnosis of sick animals, the veterinarians reported.
For example, the female ground hornbill “Margot” could be helped. The animal had behaved unusually reserved. The X-ray diagnosis showed that an egg had lodged itself in the bird’s body and was pressing on internal organs such as the lungs. “By injecting calcium, we stimulated muscle activity, so Margot laid the egg two days later,” Bunert said.
