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LAPAROSCOPIC STERILISATION OF BONNET MACAQUES (Macaca radiata) DONE AT THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS, THRISSUR

                                  36 Bonnet Macaques of the Zoological Gardens, Thrissur, were sterilized by laparoscopic tubectomy between the 14th and 21st of January, 2014. The process was initiated following a request from the Director of Museums and Zoos, Thiruvananthapuram, to undertake urgent steps to control the problem of increasing population of the monkeys in the zoo. A Project of the KVASU Centre for Wildlife Studies, in collaboration with the Dept. of Veterinary Surgery & Radiology, Dept. of Animal Reproduction and Veterinary Clinical Complex, Pookode, it was the first of its kind in Kerala in many ways. Unlike the conventional surgical sterilization technique, the technique of laparoscopic tubectomy takes less time and is more comfortable for the animal. The post-operative care required is also minimum. The occasion also contributed to scientific research in the form of study of intra-operative parameters and post operative complications, which formed part of MVSc research of a Post-Graduate Scholar of Veterinary Surgery and Radiology, CVAS-Pookode.
“The technique is comparable to the procedure conducted in humans and was performed under standard operative conditions”. Another point worth special mention is that the surgeries were conducted in a mobile operation theatre set up inside the Customized Veterinary Ambulance of the Teaching Veterinary Clinical Complex, Pookode. This ambulance was purchased under the Critical Care Unit project funded by the ICAR. The project can be considered to be a major contribution by the KVASU in the management of monkey menace in human settlements. 60 males were also vasectomized in this period. It is planned to undertake similar sterilization assignments at other zoos and in free-ranging monkeys involved in conflict with humans, in future. This expertise and facilities of the university will also be very much useful for birth control in dogs, thereby reducing the stray dog population. This was a team work of Dr. P.T. Dinesh (Assistant Professor of Surgery, CVS-Pookode), Dr. Jacob Alexander (Senior Veterinary Surgeon, Thiruvananthapuram Zoo), Dr. Binoy C. Babu (Veterinary Surgeon, Thrissur Zoo) and Dr. Dilip Falgunan (MVSc Scholar, Dept. of Surgery and Radiology, CVAS-Pookode) led by Dr. Sooryadas S. (Assistant Professor of Surgery, CVS-Pookode). The Dept. of Veterinary Surgery, Mannuthy and the University Veterinary Hospitals Kokkalai and Mannuthy also contributed their help in this venture.