Latest news with #FacultyofVeterinaryScience
The Citizen
a day ago
- Health
- The Citizen
Beloved Pretoria cheetah Njozi undergoes operation
Rietvlei cheetah, Njozi, is currently in the specialised care of the wildlife clinic at the Faculty of Veterinary Science in Onderstepoort, after showing signs of lameness in her right forelimb. The beloved and well-known five-year-old female cheetah is a resident of Rietvlei Nature Reserve. Pretoria residents' hearts opened wholeheartedly when, in a few days, the Friends of Rietvlei's appeal for R50 000 for her operation, hospitalisation and rehabilitation was answered. She was found and captured with the assistance of Jeanri Weideman, a game ranger from Rietvlei. Njozi wears a very high-frequency collar. After she was found, she was darted and radiographed in the field by veterinary wildlife specialist, Prof Katja Koeppel. Chris van Blerk, faculty spokesperson, said radiographs revealed that she had previously fractured two bones in her right forelimb (the radius and ulna), which had healed in the wrong position (a malunion) and fused (sinostosis). 'This deformity limited the movement of her paw and likely caused abnormal stress on the limb. Sadly, this led to a new fracture just above the old injury site,' said Van Blerk. She went into the operating theatre on July 22. Small animal specialist surgeon, Dr Adriaan Kitshoff and a team from the faculty's Onderstepoort Veterinary Academic Hospital (OVAH), performed the surgery. 'In theatre, we corrected both the previous malunion and the recent fracture by removing a wedge of bone and carefully realigning the limb,' said Kitshoff. The bones were then stabilised with two metal plates, and a small bone graft from her shoulder was used to help speed up healing. According to Prof Koeppel, her bandage was changed on July 23. She will be managed and monitored by the team of wildlife veterinarians and students at the Faculty of Veterinary Science's wildlife clinic. Peter Ruddle, chairperson of the Friends of Rietvlei, a NPO supporting the reserve, said the 'public has been fantastic with their response'. He pointed out that they are very glad that all went well with the operation and thanked the team at Onderstepoort. ALSO READ: Rietvlei cheetah found safely Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to [email protected] or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
05-07-2025
- Health
- The Citizen
Watch: Groundbreaking elephant tusk extraction in Cambodia led by UP professors
A distressed elephant with a fractured tusk is not unfamiliar to Prof Gerhard Steenkamp, a veterinary specialist in dentistry and maxillofacial surgery at the University of Pretoria's (UP) Faculty of Veterinary Science. Over the years, he has travelled the world to lead and assist with specialised procedures involving elephants and other wildlife species. But this time, an emergency call took him to Cambodia, where a tusk extraction procedure on an elephant had never been done before. The journey leading up to this huge undertaking began about 18 months ago, when Dr Navaneetha Roopan, head veterinarian of Wildlife Alliance – a conservation and rescue NGO that operates in the Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre in Cambodia – visited Kulen Elephant Forest (KEF), where he noticed that a 45-year-old elephant named Chi Chlorb had a fractured tusk. The KEF is a 400-hectare elephant retirement reserve in Siem Reap province that provides sanctuary for former captive Asian elephants, many of which spent most of their lives in the tourism industry. According to a post on KEF's Facebook page, the life-saving procedure was necessary to relieve her from ongoing discomfort and prevent serious infection. Roopan and Steenkamp's paths crossed at a conference last July in China, where Steenkamp had delivered a lecture. 'After the talk, Dr Roopan approached me and asked if I would assist with Chi Chlorb's case,' says Steenkamp, who also owns Vetdent International, a dentistry and maxillofacial service for all animal species, including wildlife. 'Of course, I agreed.' The intervention was planned for this year, and Steenkamp and Prof Adrian Tordiffe – a veterinary wildlife specialist at animal rescue centre Vantara in India, and a lecturer at UP – travelled to Cambodia to perform the tusk extraction. Tordiffe has worked with Steenkamp on various missions around the world and typically administers the anaesthesia for procedures. This time was no exception. 'This was also the first time an elephant had ever undergone general anaesthesia in Cambodia,' Steenkamp says, adding that it is significant that the Indian centre supported this project. 'It shows how much knowledge and experience they've developed – and continue to develop – at Vantara, and how they may continue to play a significant role in supporting veterinarians and wildlife conservation across Asia in future.' From sedation to standing, the surgery took about an hour and a half and was a great success. Watch: A video of the surgery (not for sensitive viewers): The extraction procedure also served as a valuable learning and observation experience for veterinarians from Thailand and Singapore who attended the surgery. Since the operation two weeks ago, Chi Chlorb has been recovering well. The impact of this procedure goes far beyond the well-being of a single elephant. It is a powerful example of how UP's Faculty of Veterinary Science continues to contribute its expertise to global wildlife conservation, fostering knowledge sharing and capacity building across continents. Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
