Carnivores Undergo Health Check at Monarto Safari Park

Posted By : The Animal Facts Editorial Team

Date: September 28, 2021 11:59 pm

A cheetah is pictured during its health check at Monarto Safari Park

Photo Credit: Zoos SA

Keepers and vets at Monarto Safari Park have been kept busy as two of their carnivores underwent their routine health checks. On the table were four year old spotted hyena Kanzi and five year old cheeth Qailee.

Veterinarian Ian Smith explained the checks, “Both animals underwent a general anaesthetic which allows us to more closely examine them from head to tail looking for any abnormalities. We focused upon teeth and mouth, eyes and ears, abdomen and limbs, including foot pads. We were also able to take a blood sample, which I am pleased to report showed no issues.”

During her check Kanzi was also give a vaccine booster.

Second on to the table was Qailee as Smith explained, “Just as with Kanzi, we checked her limbs and joints for movement and gave her a body condition score. This measurement is an indicator of health for the animal and means we can refer back to it at future health checks to demonstrate which way their health is trending.”

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“Qailee was also given another microchip to help identify her. Her current microchip, the one that she had upon her arrival in 2017, requires a specialty microchip reader so a zoo-standard microchip was given to simplify onsite identification,” finished Ian.

The checks provided a valuable learning experience by final year veterinary students.

After their exams the pair returned to their exhibits and were monitored until they were fully recovered.

Monarto Safari Park work to support the conservation of spotted hyenas and cheetah in the wild. To support hyena they partner with the South African National Parks Honorary Rangers. Cheetahs also receive assistance through a partnership wit the Cheetah Conservation Fund.