Case Studies in Animal Care

Repairing a Cheetah’s Broken Paw

In 2020, male cheetah Chimba broke all four metatarsals in his right foot. When the bones did not heal properly after the veterinary team’s initial attempts at correcting the fractures, Head of Veterinary Programs Dr. Selig identified the need for a more detailed approach.

Dr. Mark Daye examines Chimba's foot

He reached out to Dr. Mark Daye at Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital in Copley, a board-certified surgeon who specializes in orthopedic surgery, and together they utilized the Zoo’s new CT scanner to create a 3D model of the broken bones and develop a plan for a corrective procedure. Dr. Daye performed the surgery, placing metal implants in the foot and setting Chimba up for the best chance at recovery.

3D model of Chimba's broken bones

In addition to the advantage presented by leveraging Dr. Daye’s specialized expertise for Chimba’s treatment, Dr. Selig described how the Zoo’s CT scanner improved the outlook for Chimba. “Without the CT scanner, we would have had a much harder time diagnosing the injury. We would have figured it out, but the CT scanner allowed us to elect treatment much sooner. The 3D model we created using the scanner gave us a much more detailed understanding of the fractures and therefore of the treatment needed and set Dr. Daye up for success.”

The Zoo’s CT scanner was provided by a generous donor in 2020 and has made possible many more detailed diagnoses and advanced veterinary procedures.

Honing Gorilla Healthcare

Good health starts with preventative care - sound familiar? For the Zoo’s growing gorilla troop, voluntary trained behaviors make check-ups easier and lower-stress and facilitate more frequent health monitoring. The gorillas are trained via positive reinforcement to participate voluntarily for a variety of practices including blood draws, finger blood pressure checks, ultrasounds, EKGs, and anesthesia injections. Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is one of just a few zoos that have achieved voluntary blood draws with gorillas.

Mokolo has been trained to present his chest for cardiac ultrasounds

Even more rare are voluntary, non-anesthetized blood pressure readings. There are currently five gorillas across the entire zoo population that consistently participate in this behavior, and two of them are at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. This practice was pivotal to Kebi Moyo’s high-risk pregnancy and the successful birth of Kunda in 2023.

Voluntary blood draw

Associate Animal Curator Laura Klutts knows firsthand how special and important it is to work with the gorillas in this capacity. “Voluntary positive reinforcement training is an important aspect of managing these highly intelligent apes and takes an established, trusting relationship between the gorillas and caregivers,” she said. Previously a gorilla keeper, in her role as Associate Curator Klutts now travels to other zoos to aid them in infant care and maternal/foster training programs and consults on all topics of behavioral training.

Gorillas, through positive reinforcement training, build trust with keepers

Paired with the groundbreaking research on gorilla cardiovascular health and diet led by the Zoo’s dedicated scientists, Cleveland is an unparalleled leader driving significant advances in gorilla care and health.

Animal care advocates help the Zoo Society fund critically important veterinary supplies that make this possible.

Advancing Tree Kangaroo Research & Well-Being

When female Matschie’s tree kangaroo Sausi arrived at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo in 2017, the animal care team noted that she was overweight and not cycling normally. A desire to better understand and care for tree kangaroos led Zoo Research Curator and Tree Kangaroo SSP (Species Survival Plan) Research Advisor Dr. Diana Koester to initiate a population-wide study of tree kangaroo hormones and diet.

Dr. Koester in the Zoo’s Endocrine Lab

Your Zoo’s endocrine lab processed data for the entire SSP tree kangaroo population to ensure consistency. The findings drove the team to create new dietary recommendations for these marsupials, prioritizing leafy browse as a staple and reducing grain.

Matschie’s Tree Kangaroo

Alongside the SSP nutritionist, Dr. Koester now provides individualized diet and breeding recommendations for tree kangaroos in other zoos. The SSP is already seeing positive health outcomes across the population: healthy weights, better skin and fur, improved joint health, and higher rates of reproductive success. She cites your Zoo’s female tree kangaroo as both a cautionary tale and a success story – Sausi arrived obese and lacking a normal cycle, and through research-driven care she achieved a significant health transformation.

The Zoo Society’s passionate community of donors are key in funding the endocrine lab, which furnishes globally important wildlife research.