A Florida zoo is poking its animals. But it's for a good reason.
ZooTampa at Lowry Park, a nearly 100-year-old, 56-acre zoo in Tampa, has begun incorporating acupuncture therapy into its treatment plans for animals with complex medical conditions, the facility said in a press release.
A video shows Sloth, a manatee, receiving treatments for a chronic nerve condition, and a 14-year-old black-bellied whistling duck named Earl Grey receiving treatments for a sudden weakness in his leg.
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Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese therapy that involves inserting fine needles into the skin to produce a therapeutic effect.
“It is used as a complementary therapy, meaning it can be incorporated alongside traditional veterinary
medicine, physical therapy and other treatments when appropriate,” ZooTampa said.
ZooTampa at Lowry Park provides specialized care from a veterinary team, animal care professionals, and medical specialists for more than 1,000 animals representing over 350 species, including numerous threatened and endangered species from climates similar to the Tampa Bay area. The zoo is one of just two places in the U.S. that can take in critically injured and sick manatees and orphaned calves, ZooTampa said.
And the zoo is open to new ideas. Last year, ZooTampa teamed up with local specialists to successfully treat a rare dental condition in a six-year-old baboon named Silar.
“Acupuncture gives us another way to support patients when traditional treatment options may be limited or when we are working to improve comfort, mobility, and healing,” staff veterinarian Dr Alex Mason said.
C. A. Bridges is a journalist for the USA TODAY Network-Florida's service journalism Connect team. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Florida zoo treats animals with acupuncture, here's why
