Helping the Elephant-Sized Medicine Go Down

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Helping the Elephant-Sized Medicine Go Down

Oct. 3, 2014—Ever wonder how elephants take their medicine? Last week, we told you that 38-year-old Asian elephant Bozie was being treated by our animal care team for colic-like symptoms. Following 24-hour care and daily treatments, Bozie’s overall appetite and water intake has improved and she is back to eating her normal diet of fruits, grains and greens. As blood test results revealed that she has a serious infection, the challenge for our team is to try to pinpoint its origin and continue to administer antibiotics for the next month or longer to ensure her full recovery. However, just like children, elephants sometimes need some coaxing to take an elephant-sized dosage of meds. Sometimes for specific critical situations, we bend the nutritional rules and provide non-typical items to deliver the medication Mary Poppins style. Bozie is one of those cases. Check out this behind-the-scenes look at how our team is using banana bread, peanut butter and even potato chips to help the medicine go down.

2 min 41 sec

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