Shivamogga: In a rare late-night medical effort, a 15-year-old male leopard named Bhadra from Shivamogga zoo (Tyavarekoppa tiger and lion safari) was rushed to Nanjappa Hospital for an emergency MRI scan Friday after two days of severe weakness and exhaustion.With the ageing leopard’s condition deteriorating and neither the zoo nor the nearby veterinary college equipped with MRI facilities, the veterinary team decided the scan was vital to assess possible neurological or spinal issues. To ensure public safety and avoid daytime crowds, the procedure was scheduled for midnight, authorities said.
Bhadra was sedated at the safari and transported in a specialised zoo vehicle to the hospital on Kuvempu road, about 10 km away, where a second dose was administered to maintain sedation.Zoo executive director VM Amaraksara told TOI: “In the wild, leopards usually live for about 10 years. Here in the zoo, he lived for 15 years. He has been ill for the past two days. Since a scan was necessary, he was brought to the hospital. The scanning process for humans and animals is the same. Further treatment will continue at the zoo.”Veterinarian Dr Muruli Manohar said the MRI was a first-of-its-kind effort in the region and noted that MRI is the gold-standard tool for evaluating acute spinal cord injury (SCI) and is crucial for managing quadriplegia (tetraplegia). It offers superior soft-tissue contrast compared to CT scans and provides detailed imaging of the spinal cord, ligaments and discs, guiding medical decisions, he said. A CSF tap (lumbar puncture) is also done to analyse fluid for pathogens and biochemical markers, he noted.The scan took about 30 minutes, after which Bhadra was taken back to the safari.The Mysuru zoo had shifted a tiger to a private hospital for an MRI scan about two decades ago.
