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Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Nails Mattresses To Walls To Protect Giraffe That Needs 'Risky' Procedure

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (CBS4) - A 16-year-old giraffe named Mahali will go through a "risky" procedure Thursday, as animal care specialists work to treat some ongoing health issues. Animal care specialists say Mahali has arthritis and fractures in his feet, "which he's recently indicated have become painful." In preparation, zoo officials have nailed multiple mattresses to the walls in the "procedure space" and covered the floor with sand.

Welcome back to another update on Mahali, our 16-year-old male giraffe. We're here with Jason, giraffe animal care manager, and Amy, our senior lead giraffe keeper. You've heard in our previous week's updates that we're preparing for an immobilization of Mahali, our 16-year-old male giraffe who has been dealing with some medical issues, and has also regressed in his training. Last week, we told you about Mahali's main issues, which are fractures and arthritis in both his front feet, hoof overgrowth and sprains and ligament injuries in his front legs. We have four treatment methods planned for Mahali's immobilization, which will take place in the giraffe barn tomorrow, Thursday, Jan. 30. We'd like to trim all four of his hooves, glue a shoe to each of his front feet, perform joint injections to help with arthritis and administer stem cells. Immobilizing a patient as big as Mahali is risky, so his care team is doing all they can to prepare the procedure space. Amy and Jason are taking you behind the scenes today to see the space where Mahali's procedure will take place. As you can see, we've set up the stall to make Mahali and the rest of the herd as comfortable as possible. The sand on the floor acts as a cushion for Mahali while he lies down and remains on the floor for the procedure. The mattresses on the walls are a safety measure for Mahali. These cushions on the walls protect him from accidentally tripping into the hard surface while he's coming into or out of anesthesia. We've also seen giraffe rest their heads on top of these mattresses while they're lying down and preparing to stand after anesthesia. The sheets are for the benefit of the herd. In case the procedure doesn't go as planned, we want to protect the rest of the herd from being stressed by seeing Mahali under stress. During his procedure and recovery, depending on how he does, the giraffe barn will be closed. If the weather is appropriate, the rest of the herd will have the opportunity to go out into the yards, otherwise, they'll stay in the barn. Tomorrow, we plan to provide a quick update on how Mahali did during and after the immobilization. We'll be able to provide additional details during next week's video. Thank you again for your continued support and well-wishes. We are grateful to have such a strong, supportive community behind us!

Posted by Cheyenne Mountain Zoo on Wednesday, January 29, 2020

"We've exhausted all of our usual treatment options. This means we are now gearing up for an anesthetization to immobilize and treat Mahali," officials stated last week.

"Immobilizing a patient as big as Mahali is risky, so his care team is doing all they can to prepare the procedure space," officials said.

"He might start to stumble, or as he stands up," Amy, the Senior Lead Giraffe Keeper, explained in a video posted on Facebook on Wednesday.

"The mattresses on the walls are a safety measure for Mahali. These cushions on the walls protect him from accidentally tripping into the hard surface while he's coming into or out of anesthesia," officials stated on Facebook. "The sand on the floor acts as a cushion for Mahali while he lies down and remains on the floor for the procedure."

giraffe mahali cheyenne mountain zoo
(credit: Cheyenne Mountain Zoo)

"We have four treatment methods planned for Mahali's immobilization, which will take place in the giraffe barn tomorrow," officials stated Wednesday. "We'd like to trim all four of his hooves, glue a shoe to each of his front feet, perform joint injections to help with arthritis and administer stem cells."

The mattresses aren't just there to protect Mahali -- they also provide comfort for other members of the herd.

"In case the procedure doesn't go as planned, we want to protect the rest of the herd from being stressed by seeing Mahali under stress," officials stated.

Zoo officials say they've treated similar conditions before -- with special shoes and stem cell injections -- but Mahali has recently regressed in his training and isn't allowing them to attempt those treatments.

The VP of Mission and Programs, Dr. Liza, and Giraffe Animal Care Manager, Jason, explained that giraffe anesthesia is risky but say it is in Mahali's best interest in this case.

"As you can imagine, when you're doing anesthesia on a patient that weighs a ton - literally - and can be 17-feet tall, there's a lot to figure out and a lot of logistics to consider," Dr. Liza said on Facebook. But officials say they're taking every possible precaution.

Zoo officials say Dr. Liza has supported about 70 immobilizations in the wild -- and this isn't Mahali's first immobilization either.

"The team treated him for similar issues in 2017 and saw a marked improvement," officials stated. "Based on the initial progress Mahali made after his last immobilization, his care team feels this treatment plan is the best option to address his current hoof maintenance and the recently discovered additional fracture."

giraffe mahali cheyenne mountain zoo 2
(credit: Cheyenne Mountain Zoo)

The zoo said officials would provide an update on Mahali's treatment and condition on Thursday.

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