The Animal Health Centre at the Adelaide Zoo has historically relied on much good will from surrounding hospitals in the district and colleagues in both the medical and veterinary professions to supply some of the equipment needed to run the busy veterinary department.   Such supplies including surgical instruments, machinery and equipment as well as drugs are heavily relied upon, not only to service both Adelaide and Monarto Zoos, but also Cleland Wildlife Park and the many wildlife patients that enter the doors of the veterinary hospital.

A lovely story that shows this great relationship with Adelaide Zoo and the good will of the medical profession was a recent event with our female Golden Lion Tamarin ‘Bobtail’.  This little female has had some ongoing lameness issues and the ordinary radiographs that we are able to take and process at Adelaide Zoo were not giving us an answer as to the cause of her lameness.  It just so happened that one day whilst the veterinary team were examining her radiographs, two very helpful radiologists from Jones and Partners walked by the examination viewing window at the zoo and offered their services.  From this, stemmed a great relationship which resulted in Jones and Partners offering us further diagnostic tools and we have been able to diagnose this animal more accurately and treat her accordingly. 

The Animal Health Department is always on the look out for further equipment to help run our busy hospital.  Our wish list includes;

• Portable X-ray machine
• Digital X-ray plates and processor
• X-ray Viewer/Light box
• Pulse oximeter
• Doppler
• Opthalmoscope illuminator
• Head Torch
• Capnograph
• Oscillating Saw
• Oesophageal stethoscope
• Suction Pump
• Large and small animal dentistry equipment
• Cautery unit and probes
• Digital Camera and Video
• Post Mortem Saw

If you can help the Animal Health Department with their wish list, please contact the zoo.