Staff at Dickerson Park Zoo and the zoo's veterinarian are treating Ol' C.C., Dickerson Park Zoo's oldest elephant. KSMU's Michele Skalicky has more...
Ol’ C.C., has two fractured lumbar vertebrae and some minor damage to the spinal cord. That’s what the zoo’s staff veterinarian and a local vascular surgeon learned during an ultrasound exam on the elephant Wednesday.Zoo staff had noticed signs of physical weakness and mobility problems in C.C. The veterinarian, Dr. Erica Wilson, suspects the injury occurred earlier this month when the elephant fell in the yard during an exercise walk. Medication she had been on may have made her disoriented.To help C.C. recover, zoo staff members are fabricating a back brace for the 8000 pound animal. She’ll likely wear the brace for at least six weeks. Zoo staff believe this is the first time this type of recovery has been attempted with an elephant. They remain very guarded and cautious with the prognosis of C.C.’s recovery.Ol’ C.C. is in her early 60s. She’s the oldest elephant in the zoo’s herd of five and the fourth oldest elephant living in zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. She came to Dickerson Park Zoo in 1954.
