Zoo hospital

The Tisch Family Zoological Center’s Hospital/Quarantine Unit

The Phyllis and Otto Frey Animal Medical Center located at the Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem, Israel opened in 2000. The animal hospital includes a large surgery room with diagnostic equipment, recovery and treatment rooms, a laboratory and a quarantine unit. The animal hospital serves all of the zoo's animals with the exception of “the big 5”- elephants, giraffes, rhinos, hippos and bison. These large animals are treated in their own quarters within their exhibits. Diagnostic and preventative medical programs are an integral part of veterinary zoo medicine. 

 

The preventative program includes:
1. Vaccinations against diseases such as rabies, foot and mouth disease, tetanus, feline respiratory diseases and avian influenza are given according to a regular schedule.
2. Scheduled treatments such as medications against intestinal worms for all zoo animals, monthly medications against colic for the ponies and urinary bladder stones for the sheep in the children's' zoo, anti-malaria medication for penguins.
3. Regular scheduled examinations take place every year for different animals in the zoo. These examinations consist of a complete physical exam, blood tests, x-rays along with teeth cleaning, hoof trimming or contraceptive treatments,.
4. Quarantine unit- any new animal that arrives to the zoo must be kept in the quarantine unit for varying periods. Here the animal is tested for many diseases to insure that it doesn’t bring infectious disease into the zoo. Zoo residents that are to be shipped to other locations also spend time in the quarantine unit. While awaiting transfer they undergo medical tests to insure that they won't be bringing disease to another facility. Separate areas of this unit are also used to house animals that are undergoing medical treatment and need daily care before they can be returned to their exhibit.
5. Roo's House – is a new quarantine unit designated for treatment and recovery of injured wildlife and named after our baby leopard Roo who died in Aug, 2007. Wildlife can carry diseases that might be passed to zoo animals and are best kept isolated in a quiet environment that is less stressful for them. 

6. Emergency care- The veterinary team is in close contact with the zoo keepers and workers in all the different departments of the zoo. The zoo keepers know their animals best and are able to indicate any changes within the exhibit; in the animal’s behavior, feeding or drinking habits or any sign of physical injury. In many cases there is a need to capture the animal and tranquilize it in order to provide the animal with accurate diagnosis and proper care. Large animals are tranquilized by using a gun with darts. After a thorough examination the veterinarian decides whether to transfer the animal to the hospital or to continue treatment in the field.
7. Positive Reinforcement Behavior Training is used in order to ease required medical procedures and treatments for the zookeepers, the veterinarians and the animals themselves. Positive reinforcement behavior training is important because it decreases the level of stress that the zoo animals are under while receiving treatments. For example our elephants are trained using the “free contact” method and therefore daily care, nail trims, regular treatments and the drawing of blood samples can be done without the need for anesthetics. Another example is our chimpanzees which are trained to stand in various positions in order to allow the use of a stethoscope to listen to the heart and lungs, to have their temperature taken, or receive medication.
8. Nutrition- proper nutrition plays an important role in the zoo. A direct link between proper diet and healthy life stages of the animal (growth, reproduction and life span) has been found. In the Biblical Zoo the animals’ nutritional needs are analyzed and every animal is fed with a specialized diet menu. In many cases food supplements are also added to the diet menu. Diets are periodically reviewed and adjusted if necessary.
8. Veterinary research- Promotion of veterinary research that involves both zoo animals and wild animals is an important goal of the Animal Hospital team. The animal hospital team is moving forward with the vision of Dr. Gabi Eshkar. Gabi was the head veterinarian for many years until he was killed in 2004 in a car accident.
 

Veterinary research and ongoing studies at the zoo:
Asian elephants are a major source of interest at the Biblical Zoo. "Free contact" management allows us access to information and research possibilities that might be otherwise difficult. Some of the research on our Asian Elephants includes:
• In vitro fertilization of an Asian elephant cow and the delivery of “Gabi” the baby elephant. This is one aspect of long-term research and cooperation with international associations
• Hormonal changes in fertility and reproduction cycles
• Study of ongoing recurrent keratitis and treatment options
• Ongoing studies on the level of Rabies virus antibodies in vaccinated Asian Elephants
• Ongoing study of serum hormonal changes, sperm development and behavioral changes in "Teddy", the zoo's young male Asian Elephant

 


Other areas of research in the zoo are:
• The use of birth control in wildlife animals.
• Running study of the hormonal fluctuations during pregnancy in a Brazilian Tapir.
• Effects of a sustained release anti-fungal varnish in a Siamang
• Research on developing a sustained release antibiotic implant in grass eaters with the goal of single treatments for wildlife and zoo animals
• Study on the efficacy of using a GnRH (Deslorelin) intramuscular dart in Giraffes
• Study on the hormonal changes in the reproductive cycle of Cheetahs

The animal hospital team includes:
Dr. Nili Avni-Magen, Head veterinarian
Dr. Ariyeh Litvak, Relief veterinarian
Dr. Elizabeth Kaufman, Veterinarian and Nutritionist
Dr. Noa Eshkol, Veterinarian
The Hospital staff also includes a large team of volunteers who come and help with cleaning and feeding duties.

The Zoo is a member of the European Association of Zoo and Wildlife Veterinarians and involved with many zoos in Europe and worldwide as a partner in conservation efforts.

 
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