Penny the Ostrich is set to return to her habitat this week after a successful surgery and period of recovery.
“On July 23, a plastic cup blew into her African Veldt habitat. Ostriches are naturally curious and opportunistic eaters and Penny attempted to swallow the cup. Penny’s Animal Care & Health Teams immediately intervened to remove the item from her esophagus to prevent her from completely swallowing the item.” States Dr. Caitlin Hemby, Fort Wayne Zoo Associate Veterinarian. “Had she fully swallowed the item, it could have been a life-threatening situation. During the initial intervention, she injured her wing. As she recovered, and upon further monitoring via medical exams and X-rays, it was determined that Penny irreparably fractured her wing, and an amputation became necessary. That surgery was successfully performed on July 30.”
Penny has been monitored closely by her care team since the surgery and is now ready to return to her habitat this week. As she makes her return to the Veldt, guests will notice a few changes to Penny’s appearance:
•Penny now has a nub where her wing used to be. She has recovered well over the weeks, and she is not in pain or bothered by this.
•Currently, Penny has fewer or shorter feathers around where her wing used to be. This is because the veterinary team needed to remove adult feathers to perform the surgery. Those feathers will grow back.
•She does have a visible incision mark where that amputation site was. This area will continue to heal. Our Animal Care & Health teams are monitoring the incision sites and are pleased with how well it is healing.
“While we hope situations like this never happen, our Animal Care & Health Teams work incredibly hard to build trust with animals in our care and undergo continuous training to ensure the best possible medical care is provided.” Says Rick Schuiteman, Zoo Executive Director & CEO. “Situations like this highlight the importance of protecting wildlife from pollutants. Penny was incredibly lucky to have the resources readily available to receive the care she needed, but unfortunately, not all of our local wildlife has that same advantage. Cleaning up trash is a small but incredibly effective way to help all wildlife thrive.”
We are grateful for the hard work of Dr. Bradley Coolman and his team from Northeast Indiana Veterinary Emergency & Specialty Hospital for working alongside our team of Animal Care & Health experts to efficiently provide Penny with the best possible care during this medical procedure.