Animals At This Zoo Are Treated Extraordinarily Well, Some Even Receiving Regular Therapeutic Massages - TwistedSifter

[Michael Levanduski]

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In the past, zoos have earned a pretty bad reputation for how they treated the animals. The creatures were seen only as a form of entertainment in many cases, and not as living creatures that should be properly cared for.

More recently, most zoos have done a great job at modifying their facilities to treat the animals better. This includes giving them more natural foods, making sure that the animals have enough room to live normally, and even giving them entertainment options to keep their minds sharp.

The Werribee Open Range Zoo just outside Melbourne in Australia, however, is setting the standard when it comes to exceptional care for the animals in their custody.

This starts out by ensuring all of the animals are given lots of room to run, jump, play, and just live. The zoo staff know, however, that just like with humans, proper care isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. This is why they work with each individual animal to figure out exactly what they need to thrive, even if it may seem unorthodox.

One prime example of this is an Arabian Camel named Saffron.

Saffron is an older animal and was previously struggling with age-related issues including arthritis. Rather than turn directly to drugs, or worse, euthanasia, the zoo had their massage therapist come take a look. (That’s right, the zoo has an experienced massage therapist on staff).

Laura Harbridge is one of the zookeepers, and she recently discussed this with IFLScience, where she discussed how the massages have helped Saffron:

“Saffron’s health and mobility has really improved. Prior to the treatment, she was a little bit slow to stand up at times and the cold really affected her. But now she’s really active and can now get up and down without too much effort.”

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The massage therapist is Christian Langeder. He has worked with other animals, including racehorses, to help treat a variety of issues. In a statement, he explained:

“When massaging, I’m looking for involuntary spasms, inflammation of the muscles, rigidity or any dysfunction. So, during these sessions we were able to identify that Saffron’s condition was arthritic and not muscular related.”

Helping this camel is just one of the many things he has been able to do at the zoo to improve the lives of the animals. He has also worked on a rhino, and there is likely going to be a number of elephants joining the zoo soon who may require his services.

Finding ways to treat animals that go beyond just medication, sedation, or euthanasia is just one of the many ways that this zoo is setting the bar high for all other zoos in the world.

Check out this video showing Saffron and Langeder to see exactly how this works.

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I’m a little jealous of these animals.

Cuties!

Thought that was fascinating? Here’s another story you might like: Why You’ll Never See A Great White Shark In An Aquarium


Categories: ANIMALS, NATURE/SPACE
Tags: · animal care, animal massage, animals, Australian zoo, camel, science, single topic, therapeutic massage, top, zoos