Veterinary staff provides care to 23 Magellanic Penguins
Twenty-three Magellanic Penguins had their annual physicals at John Ball Zoo today.
While the penguins’ 30,000-gallon pool was drained for routine cleaning and maintenance, penguins were brought to the veterinary staff where each animal was weighed, had its beak and nails trimmed and received a full physical examination to ensure the penguins are healthy and have no emerging issues.
“Similar to domestic animals, and even people, routine visits to the doctor for examinations are important to ensuring the penguins’ health,” said Dr. Ryan Colburn, senior veterinarian at John Ball Zoo. “The team at John Ball Zoo works hard to give each penguin a thorough check, making sure our penguins are happy, healthy and thriving before going back into their freshly cleaned habitat.”
John Ball Zoo vet staff checked the penguins’ eyes, hearts, lungs, joints and more, took samples for routine blood work and evaluated radiographs (X-rays).
Wrangling so many animals is a team effort that involves veterinarians, veterinary technicians and animal care staff. With so many patients needing to receive each of these steps, the team worked in a coordinated fashion to keep the process efficient, organized and safe.
Once finished with their exams, the penguins waited patiently for their flockmates to complete the process. After everyone’s exams were complete, animal care staff refilled their pool and got the penguins back to their normal routines.
