North Carolina’s zoo elephant to get contact lenses on order
June 20th, 2012 - 9:41 pm ICT by Aishwarya BhattNorth Carolina, June 19 (THAINDIAN NEWS) An elephant is all get contact lenses as his eye-sight is weak. After C’sar the elephant suffered his second cataract operation, the veterinarian team at N.C. Zoo, where he lives, decided that contact lenses could be used as a treatment for the elephant.
C’sar, the 38 years old is an African bull elephant. He weighs approximately 12,000 pounds.
In 2010 that wild-park workers noticed something white in the elephant’s eyes. Veterinaries from N.C. State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine later established that the elephant was suffering from cataracts.
After the white cloud in his left eye got serious, zoo-keepers noticed that C’sar’s movements had become erratic and the animals have turned increasingly lethargic and he lost a significant amount of weight.
They then decided to pull the elephant from exhibition for his own safety. If the elephant would have continued like this, the zoo probably would have had to sacrifice the elephant.
Last November, Richard McMullen, helped the zoo’s veterinarians team and the C’sar’s keepers, carried out a surgical operation to remove the cataracts from the animal’s left eye. On May 31, McMullen returned to the zoo and successfully removed the cataract from the elephant’s right eye.
The surgical procedures have, nevertheless, left the animal farsighted. A company is currently manufacturing a giant pair of contact lenses for the elephant.
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Tags: african bull elephant, c state, cataract operation, cataracts, college of veterinary medicine, contact lenses, elephant, eye sight, giant pair, last november, left eye, n c state university, s college, surgical procedures, veterinarian, veterinarians, veterinaries, white cloud, wild park, zoo keepers