Прощание со слоном…
Apr. 6th, 2015 11:56 amНа прошлой неделе в зоопарке Портланда усыпили слона…
Rama, Packy’s son, was known for his mild temperament and bold tempera paintings
Rama, a 31-year-old Asian elephant known for his sweet disposition and Jackson Pollock-like painting technique, was humanely euthanized at the Oregon Zoo today after animal-care staff determined they could no longer help pain and mobility issues resulting from a 25-year-old leg injury.Rama sustained the injury in 1990, when older female elephants began to push the young, sexually maturing bull out of the herd, something that occurs naturally in the wild, according to zoo deputy director Chris Pfefferkorn. During this process, Rama fell into a moat that in those days surrounded the elephant area.
“It was a serious injury,” Pfefferkorn said. “Many would have said this would be the end for Rama, but he was a survivor and went on to have a great, enriched life.”Pfefferkorn said the zoo elephant enclosure was redesigned following Rama’s accident, and the moat was filled in. It was unearthed by construction workers last year during excavation for the Forest Hall portion of the zoo’s new Elephant Lands habitat.
Rama compensated for the injury by placing more weight on his right front leg, causing him to walk with an unusual gait that was immediately noticeable to all who knew him well.
“Instead of his weight being distributed evenly over four legs, it was distributed over three,” said zoo veterinarian Tim Storms. “That puts a tremendous amount of pressure on the other legs over time.”
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