Enormous 1,000lb polar bear is transported to medical facility using a BULLDOZER for its first CT scan
- The polar bear named 'Hudson' weighs 1,000 lbs and had to be carried to Brookfield Zoo's medical facility with a bulldozer after being sedated
- Examiners gave Hudson checkup and extracted semen samples
- The samples can later be used to inseminate female polar bears at other zoos across the country, helping to boost the vulnerable bears' dwindling population
- CT scans on polar bears are extremely rare because the animals are too big to properly load into most CT scan machines
- In 2018, Brookfield Zoo received a grant to upgrade the maximum weight capacity for its CT scan table so it could properly examine Hudson's brain
A massive polar bear received its first CT scan at an Illinois zoo on Tuesday, giving zoologists a rare glimpse at a the brain of a polar bear's brain.
After sedating, the 1,000lb bear named Hudson, technicians at the Brookfield Zoo in Brookfield, Illinois had to use a reconfigured bulldozer to lift and transport the sleeping animal to a medical facility.
Examiners also gave Hudson a checkup and extracted semen samples from him that can later be used to inseminate female polar bears at other zoos across the country, helping to boost the vulnerable bears' dwindling population.
The polar bear named 'Hudson' weighs 1,000 lbs and had to be carried to Brookfield Zoo's medical facility with a bulldozer after being sedated
The bulldozer was the only way the polar bear could be lifted ahead of its scan
CT scans on polar bears are extremely rare because the animals are too big to properly load into most CT scan machines
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'Being able to get baseline CT images on a polar bear is a significant accomplishment to advance the medical well-being for the species under managed care,' Dr. Michael Adkesson, vice president of clinical medicine for the Chicago Zoological Society, told WTTW in a written statement.
'It allows us to assess Hudson's joints, internal organs and overall health. The images provide us with a reference to monitor his health over time and can also be used to compare to other polar bears in the future if needed.'
Hudson had received regular checkups prior to Tuesday's examination, but he'd never had a CT scan before because he greatly exceeded the weight limit for the table on which animals are placed to use the machine.
Examiners also gave Hudson a checkup and extracted semen samples
CT scans on polar bears are extremely rare because the animals are too big to properly load into most CT scan machines
There is an estimated total population of 22,000 to 31,000 known polar bears in the wild, according to the latest available data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature
Hudson's semen samples can later be used to inseminate female polar bears at other zoos across the country, helping to boost the vulnerable animals' dwindling population
Late last year the zoo received a grant allowing it to upgrade its table, which now has a maximum weight limit of 2,200 lbs, according to WTTW.
There are an estimated total population of 22,000 to 31,000 known polar bears in the wild, according to the latest available data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
