Page 10 - Gateways_2017_Summer

News Bites continued
Sleep Study
SCIENCE Anesthesia is necessary for
the welfare of the animals
at Brookfield Zoo. We are
fortunate to have on staff two experts in this
area. Dr. Sathya Chinnadurai is the only board-
certified anesthesiologist working in a zoo, and
Dr. Julie Balko, a veterinary fellow in anesthesia the difference between us and pinnipeds
and analgesia, joined our team last year. They
recently pioneered a new way to monitor
anesthesia safely during medical procedures on
pinnipeds like sea lions and fur seals.
For people who undergo a procedure
requiring anesthesia, a small device called
a pulse oximeter is often placed on their
finger to measure the level of oxygen in their
blood, which can drop during the procedure.
Pulse oximeters do not work on the fins of
pinnipeds, but more important, these animals’
cardiopulmonary system is different than ours,
requiring new methods to evaluate the oxygen
levels in their brain and other essential organs.
10 GATEWAYS | NEWS BITES
TAIMGUERR JUST Hello, Kitty
ARRIVED Join us in welcoming Foli, a 12-year-old
male Amur tiger from Rolling Hills Zoo
in Salina, Kansas. Amur tigers are the world’s largest cat,
and at 323 pounds and about 10 feet long, Foli is no
exception—although he is a gentle giant.
When we found out Rolling Hills Zoo no longer had
space to house him, we were happy to invite him to live
with us in Big Cats, where he is residing near female tiger
Whirl. (There are no plans for the two to breed.)
Amur tigers are among the world’s most threatened
species, with only an estimated 540 individuals
remaining in the wild. We are part of the Tiger Species
Survival Plan (SSP), a multizoo conservation and
management program for the species. Most SSPs in
which we participate are facilitated by the Association
of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). However, Amur tigers are
one of the few species for which a global management
plan has been established, and we are proud to help this
effort toward recovery of these beautiful cats.
During recent routine medical procedures Balko is presenting information about
here at Brookfield Zoo and in the Punta San this project at a meeting this month of the
Juan reserve (see page 7), Chinnadurai and International Association for Aquatic Animal
Balko used near-infrared tissue spectrometers, Medicine—an opportunity to share findings
small monitors applied directly on the skin to with the marine veterinary community. █
gauge brain and other organ oxygen levels.
But these sensors are designed and calibrated Assisted by technician Ashlee Webb (middle), Dr. Sathya
for people. Using CT scans from our female Chinnadurai (left) monitors a pinniped using a traditional pulse
sea lions, the team has been able to determine oximeter while Dr. Julie Balko measures its head for placement
precisely where to place a spectrometer to of a near-infrared tissue spectrometer.
correctly monitor the oxygen content in a
pinniped’s brain instead of its muscles or
bones. They used algorithms to correct for
and validated their results by comparing
spectrometer readings with actual oxygen
levels in blood samples.
The potential for future applications is very
promising. Our veterinarians can use these
small, safe monitoring devices on several parts
of the body at once, for many different types of
animals, in a zoo setting or in the field.