Warrenville vet checks out some really big patients
Heck, it was easier than trying to examine some ill-tempered cats, Dr. Aaron Vigil noted.
The Warrenville veterinarian gave a tuberculosis test to three elephants from the traveling Kelly Miller Circus. Piece of cake. And once the testing was finished, the session in the Warrenville Fire Protection District parking lot along Batavia Road turned into a small community event, with people taking pictures with the trio of female Asian elephants.
The elephants — Lisa, 33, Becky, 37, and 38-year-old Traci — were quite a departure from the small animals that Vigil typically deals with on a daily basis at Warrenville Grove Animal Hospital. However, he has given physical exams to elephants before.
Vigil said he believes his past experience with circus animals is the reason he was contacted by the Hugo, Okla.-based circus to test Lisa, Becky and Traci.
“We were willing to work with them and help them out,” said Vigil, adding the fire protection district agreed to let him use its parking lot.
While the testing is considered routine, the setting was not. Dozens of children and their parents stood outside the semitrailer to watch Vigil administer the test, which involves shooting sterile saline up each elephant's trunk, letting it drain out, and collecting a sample that is then sent to a lab.
“We try not to perturb them,” Vigil said. “Because if they don't like it, they will spray it back out at you.”
Wednesday was the third consecutive morning the test was given. And for the third time in a row, the elephants were obedient and “really nice” to work on, Vigil said.
“It's a lot easier than dealing with some mean cats,” he said.
The test only took a few minutes to complete. The trainers then let the elephants out of the semitrailer so they could walk in the parking lot and interact with the excited crowd of onlookers.
Warrenville firefighter Nic Tosto said his five children came out each day. “The crowd wasn't so big on the first day because nobody knew about it,” he said. “But yesterday, everyone called their friends.”
Tosto's wife, Joy, said the kids had a blast seeing and interacting with the elephants. “It's the highlight of their childhood,” she said.
Trainer Armando Loyal said the crowd didn't bother the elephants. In fact, they love all the attention, he said.
“They get a kick out of it,” Loyal said.
Loyal said he needed to find a local veterinarian to do the testing because the circus won't be returning to Oklahoma until next month. Federal regulations require that elephants be tested every three months, he said.
Regular testing is needed to prevent the spread of tuberculosis among the nation's 400 to 500 captive elephants, according to the co-author of a study showing that elephants can transmit tuberculosis to humans.
Dr. William Schaffner, chairman of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine's department of preventive medicine, said it's estimated that 10 to 12 percent of the captive Asian elephants have been exposed to TB. About 80 percent of the captive elephants are Asian elephants, he said.
“That's something that the captive elephant community is learning about and dealing with,” Schaffner said.
While Kelly Miller Circus awaits the latest test results for Lisa, Becky, and Traci, veterinarian Vigil admits things getting back to normal at the clinic will be a bit of a letdown.
“It's going to be kind of a boring day (Thursday),” he said.