African Lion Undergoes Eye Operation at Adelaide Zoo

Posted By : The Animal Facts Editorial Team

Date: March 18, 2021 11:20 am

Amani the African Lion during her eye operation at the Adelaide Zoo

Photo Credit: Zoos SA

An African lion at Adelaide Zoo in Australia was visited by an ophthalmologist last week to help solve an eye issue which had been plaguing the 19 year old lioness.

At the Adelaide Zoo’s Animal health Center Amani was seen to by Tony Read, Specialist Veterinary Ophthalmologist. During his examination he discovered that she was suffering from a non-healing eye ulcer.

“I see this kind of ulcer quite frequently, it’s one of the most common procedures that we undertake with older animals,” said Tony.

Explaining the procedure, which took no more than 20-minutes, Tony said: “I made a superficial cut into the cornea to remove some non-healing tissue and used Amani’s third eyelid to cover the eye. All went well and I would expect a full recovery in 7-14 days,” finished Tony.

As Amani’s eye was seen to by Tony, Adelaide Zoo’s vet team gave her a thorough check-over. They were able to take blood samples, assess body condition, trim her nails and inspect her teeth ready for further dental work to be carried out in the future.

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Zoos SA veterinarian Ian Smith was happy with the procedure and Amani’s condition. “We are very happy with how the operation went,” said Ian.

“Amani is 19-years-old, quite aged for a lion but is in good condition,” he finished.

Soon after the procedure Amani was returned to the lion exhibit and her companion, Mujambi. Vets were able to remove the sutures yesterday and are happy with the results.

At Adelaide Zoo the African lions serve as ambassadors for their wild cousins whose numbers are declining due to the human expansion, land cultivation and due to retaliatory killings when lions take livestock.