Moose death at B.C. Wildlife Park highlights need for this important medical equipment

KAMLOOPS – This past weekend, staff at the B.C. Wildlife Park in Kamloops mourned the loss of a nine-year-old female moose who passed away from natural causes Saturday afternoon.

The park’s animal care manager, Tracy Reynolds, says the moose came into their care four years ago from the Winnipeg Zoo. When she came to the wildlife park, Cherry had some issues with her hooves where she experienced some discomfort and swelling.

Reynolds says although they don’t have all the answers as to Cherry’s cause of death, she says having an X-Ray machine would have helped with keeping track of any changes.

“[It’s] something that would have benefited us with our moose, we always had to call in the Kamloops large animal vet clinic and they were always willing to come help us out,” she says. “We had to book them to come help us out and do X-Rays but if we had one in house, we could have done it more regularly and a lot easier.”

Reynolds says they are currently awaiting the results of a necropsy.

“We don’t know what the ultimate thing was but in the last month we noticed her appetite decrease, we were doing tests on her to see what was going on and so far we haven’t been able to pinpoint anything specifically,” Reynolds says. “She did have some decreased kidney function which was a huge concern for us and she also had some digestion issues going on.”

Reynolds says the park has been fundraising for an X-Ray machine for some time. Right now, they are looking at one that is used and portable which costs approximately $37,000.

“It is not at all cheap,” she says.

Not only would it have helped with Cherry, but also with other animals who come to the rehab centre with broken bones.

“If we get [an animal] with a broken bone, we can get a good look at the bone and know how to set it, know what we can do with it and see if it's even fixable and have those answers a lot quicker,” she says.

For now, Reynolds says they are currently not looking to another moose at the park.

“They are a very hard animal to look after in captivity and we are all aware of that,” she says. “We won’t actively look for another moose to bring in.”

For more information on how to donate to the B.C. Wildlife Park visit their website.

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