Some older Micke Grove Zoo animals get special care

Only a handful of animals at Micke Grove Zoo are in geriatric care but zoo staff do their best to make accommodations for the aging "seniors."

"All the animals receive great care," said Matt McKim, zoo curator at Micke Grove. "The staff spends a great deal of time with them."

Veterinarian Jackie Gai works two or three times a week with the animals and said the oldest animal in the group is a 41-year-old spider monkey named BoBo.

"He's almost as old as me ... but he's very, very active," Gai said.

Other animals include a 16-year-old snow leopard named Ling Shan, a 36-year-old bald eagle named Modoc, a 21-year-old California sea lion named MacDyver, and a 23-year-old black and white ruffed lemur named Mister.

Other large cats at the zoo, including a mountain lion, are nearing their late teens, the life expectancy for big cats. However, they don't need much special attention yet Gai said.

McKim said older animals tend to have problems with arthritis, joint stiffness, and mobility. This requires zoo keepers to spend more time focused on helping the animals stay comfortable.

"They suffer from arthritis so we look at the enclosure (or) den situation to see if there is anything we can do to help the animal get around," McKim said.

Gai said many of the geriatric animals she works with take supplements of gluecosamine to help with mobility as they age.

In addition, some animals require a small dose of aspirin or kidney, heart, and liver medications.

Zoo staff will also move furniture and keep a watch on the temperature in exhibits if certain animals are having extreme difficulty.

"As some get older, their ability to adjust to change is less," McKim said. "It just gets harder with older animals."

Contact Natalie Flynn at natalief@lodinews.com