Can Vets Save a Life Under Pressure? | Nature Bites

Vets in Chester Zoo rush to save a Babirusa with an injured hoof - but will they have to amputate? And how will the babirusa's baby fare without its mum?

The babirusas, also called deer-pigs are a genus, Babyrousa, in the swine family found in the Indonesian islands of Sulawesi, Togian, Sula and Buru. All members of this genus were considered part of a single species until 2002, the babirusa, B. babyrussa, but following that was split into several species. This scientific name is restricted to the Buru babirusa from Buru and Sula, whereas the best-known species, the north Sulawesi babirusa, is named B. celebensis. The remarkable "prehistoric" appearance of these mammals is largely due to the prominent upwards incurving canine tusks of the males, which actually pierce the flesh in the snout.

From The Secret Life of the Zoo: This series gives viewers behind the scenes access to Chester Zoo's 21,000 animals and the people who work there. The zoo's keepers are interviewed in each episode about the various animals and incidents, whether it's orangutans escaping their enclosure or tigers getting into scraps.

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