Kākāpō goes under the knife at Wildbase for world-first brain surgery
A young kākāpō chick has had life-saving brain surgery at Massey University's Wildbase Hospital in Palmerston North, in a world-first procedure adapting surgical techniques from humans and other mammals.
Known as Espy 1B, the 56-day-old wild-hatched kākāpō chick from Codfish Island, off Stewart Island, was in the care of the Department of Conservation's kākāpō recovery team when rangers noted an unusual lump on its skull soon after hatching.
The chick was sent to the Dunedin Wildlife Hospital for a CT scan as soon as it was old enough.
Wildbase director Brett Gartrell said staff found there was only a thin layer of tissue between the brain and the outside world.
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"The CT scan showed that the plates of its skull had not completely fused and the fontanelle was still open," Gartrell said.
"The chick was hatched with a hole in its skull...
"In humans, this spot fuses after birth, but this is highly unusual in birds as the skull has finished fusing prior to hatching. The concern was that if this tissue was damaged this would open the brain to trauma and infection.
"With only 144 kākāpō left in the world, this condition could be life-threatening for the critically endangered bird, so action needed to be taken, but nothing like it had been attempted before in avian medicine."
A national group of veterinarians, including from Auckland Zoo, Wellington Zoo and Dunedin Wildlife Hospital, determined surgery was the best option.
Gartrell said Wildbase staff based the surgical plan on what is used for this condition in humans and other mammals and then extrapolated these techniques to the peculiarities of avian anatomy.
"This is a risky surgery and the common complications for this surgery in humans include permanent brain damage, continued leakage of cerebrospinal fluid and the possibility of meningitis."
Gartrell said the surgery was intense.
The chick has made a remarkable recovery and has quickly bounced back.
The bird will be transferred back to the Dunedin Wildlife Hospital later this week so it can be paired up with another kākāpō to minimise the risks of imprinting on people.
Massey vice-chancellor Jan Thomas said the work showcased the talent and innovation at Wildbase.
"The groundbreaking work being done by the hospital is at the forefront of wildlife conservation and contributes to a New Zealand effort to protect our native species.
"While this case is a shining example of their pioneering spirit, they continue that vein of excellence in the research and teaching within the School of Veterinary Science."