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Tusk Surgery For Oregon Zoo Elephant

Apr 01, 2007; Portland, Oregon, USA; Oregon Zoo lead veterinarian Dr. Mitch Finnegan (in white shirt) and veterinarian dentist Ron Tribble (in green shirt) perform surgery to remove an infected tusk from Tusko the Asian elephant at the Oregon Zoo. The 6.75-ton, 35-year-old bull elephant had surgery in February to try to remove the chronically infected, broken left tusk, but doctors were unable to remove a chunk of compacted, hard dentin tissue in the deep part of the tusk cavity. Doctors plan to remove the last few inches of the tusk by drilling more deeply during this surgery. Tusko, a former circus elephant, was trained to lie on the 12-by-16-foot, 2,000-gallon waterbed for the surgery.

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Uploaded on June 14, 2007
Taken on April 1, 2007