Thursday, November 26, 2009

My neck hurts in sympathy!


It seems Amali the giraffe had a less-than-ideal journey to her new home at Tulsa Zoo in Arizona, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Five-year-old Amali from Tulsa Zoo, Arizona, suffered the unfortunate bend in transit from The Wilds park in Ohio.

It is feared that the hook might never be cured.

Since undergoing treatment from Tulsa Zoo's resident vet Dr Kay Backues, Amali has been kept in medical quarantine since her arrival on October 18.

The 11-foot tall female giraffe is not thought to be in any pain and staff at Tulsa Zoo are hoping the crick corrects itself naturally.

. . .

A giraffes neck is designed with strong ligaments and elongated bones that give it the ability to browse higher on trees in the wild than other animals.

However, in Amali's case the unique support system of the head and neck that gives them this advantage is a delicate alignment that is susceptible to injury by muscle fatigue, or ligament and tendon trauma.

Under constant medical surveillance Amali is adjusting well to her new environment.


There's more at the link. Here's a video report on the injured animal.





She seems quite comfortable, poor thing . . . but looking at her neck, I have to restrain myself from cocking my head to one side in sympathy! I hope they can find a way to straighten her out.

Peter

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