Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — The Birmingham Zoo says its 35-year-old African elephant is doing well and should recover after undergoing surgery to remove its one remaining tusk.
Al.com reports (http://bit.ly/1VUNm4e ) the elephant, named Bulwagi, was in surgery for three hours Wednesday as veterinarians cut away a cracked tusk that had become infected. The elephant only had the one tusk when it arrived at the zoo in 2010.
Dr. Stephanie McCain, the zoo's director of animal health, said the elephant shouldn't experience long-term pain and will receive treatment daily to clean his wound.
McCain says a lack of tusks shouldn't affect Bulwagi's status as the zoo's dominant elephant. She says he uses his size to intimidate other animals when needed.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
