Dr. Joe Lash and Robin Simpson examine a gorilla.
the beloved pets of Louisville, but
has generously volunteered his time
to the Zoo on many occasions. He
has helped the Zoo for unique cases
like a meerkat with torn cruciate
ligaments in its knee, a fruit bat
with a fractured wing, and even
helped Lumpy, our 500 pound Al-
dabra tortoise, when he cracked his
beak. What an amazing resource!
Dr. Joe Lash (cardiologist) and
Robin
Simpson (echocardiography
X-ray of fractured fruit bat wing repair
tech) are our go-to heart specialists
for great apes and smaller primates.
Zoo. Kimti arrived with coloboma,
Because primates are physically simi-
a birth defect, but Dr. Tolar helped
lar to human beings, human heart
to better characterize the extent
specialists are often a great resource
of his condition. She performed a
for preventative checks, diagnosis
thorough eye evaluation, including
and treatment of heart issues. Robin
ocular ultrasound.
helps us to perform heart ultra-
Veterinary surgeon Dr. Aric
sounds on the Zoo's primates while
Applewhite primarily works to treat
Dr. Lash helps
to interpret re-
sults and treat
and manage
any issues.
These
specialists are
just part of
a long list of
medical profes-
sionals includ-
ing equine
veterinarians,
human and
veterinary
radiologists,
veterinary
internists, hu-
Dr. Tolar examines a red-tailed green rat snake.
Dr. Tolar checks the eyes of a
California Sea Lion
man and veterinary dermatologists,
neonatologists, human surgeons,
anesthesiologists, gynecologists and
fertility specialists, otolaryngologists
(ear, nose, throat) and other animal
and human health care provid-
ers who volunteer their time and
expertise to help the animals at the
Louisville Zoo.
“We can have a dentist looking
at the teeth, talking to a cardiolo-
gist assisting with ultrasound of the
heart, talking with a veterinarian,”
said Louisville Zoo Senior Veteri-
narian Dr. Zoli Gyimesi. "It’s really
comprehensive care that I’m not
sure people get. You have multiple
medical professionals talking to
each other while the patient is lay-
ing there, putting a whole story or a
whole picture together.”
The Zoo’s animal collection is
precious and many of the animals
are part of shrinking populations,
both in zoological parks and in
nature. There are fewer than 80
Sumatran tigers in North America,
and even fewer polar bears, pygmy
hippos, and Malayan tapirs in Zoos.
“The health and well-being of each
individual animal is vital to the
health of the population,” added
Dr. Gyimesi. “The Louisville Zoo
is fortunate to have a network of
specialists in the community that
are willing to donate their time
and expertise to assist with provid-
ing top notch medical care to the
animals at the Zoo.”
Louisville Zoo Trunkline • Winter 2017 • 13