A snow leopard’s journey to seek medical treatment for thousands of miles： not all snow leopards are so lucky.
On February 6th, near midnight, flight CZ6992 from Xining, Qinghai landed at Beijing Capital International Airport.
The director of Beijing Zoo Veterinary Hospital had already led a team to wait at the airport, and after receiving Ling Xue, he sent it directly to the animal hospital.
On December 9, 2017, the snow leopard "Ling Xue" was treated before the first operation. The pictures in this article are provided by the respondents.
Ling Xue is a snow leopard living in Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province. After being injured by a vehicle, she was first sent to Xining, the provincial capital, for rescue. After the operation failed, she went to Beijing for a second operation.
By March 3rd, Ling Xue, who had successfully completed the operation, had spent 25 days in Beijing and recovered well after the operation.
This big cat, which has been active on the plateau at an altitude of more than 4000 meters, spent the first year in Beijing Zoo. "We stared at it all night on New Year’s Eve, fearing that the sound of firecrackers would stimulate it," the head of the nursing team told The Paper (www.thepaper.cn). "Now its mental state and behavioral ability have recovered better."
The story of coming down from the plateau and having surgery in Xining and Beijing made Ling Xue a "online celebrity". People were happy for it, but at the same time they were worried.
"Public opinion’s attention to Snow Leopard Ling Xue has two sides. The rescue of some low-level or even no-level wild animals has not attracted everyone’s attention, and their rescue environment is even more difficult." Diao Kunpeng, a project official of Shanshui Nature Reserve Center, said that the overall level of wildlife rescue in China is low, and the frontline rescue force of wildlife should be strengthened. The government, non-governmental organizations and local residents should cooperate to establish a linkage system and gradually build a perfect wildlife rescue system to change the current situation.
Qi Xinzhang also said, "Because of the poor conditions for wildlife rescue at the grassroots level and the lack of necessary infrastructure and technicians for wildlife rescue, people who meet injured wildlife first often do not have the conditions to provide first-time rescue."
A seriously injured snow leopard
At 10 o’clock on the evening of November 24, 2017, villagers Dajie, Nanda, Qucha and Duocai in Ansai Township of Zaduo County saw Ling Xue limping on the side of the road while driving.
Two villagers stayed at the scene to guard, while others went home to bring blankets, wrapped them in Ling Xue and transported them back to Dajie’s house for treatment.
Snow leopard is a national first-class protected wild animal and the flagship species of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It is named Snow Leopard because it lives near the snow line above 3500 altitude all the year round.
The distribution area of snow leopards is special. At present, it is estimated that the number of snow leopards in the world is 4,000-8,000, of which the number of wild snow leopards in China is about 2,500, and the number of wild snow leopards in Qinghai Province is conservatively estimated to be more than 1,000, which is an important distribution area of snow leopards.
Ansai Township in Zaduo County is known as the "hometown of snow leopards", which has the largest contiguous habitat of snow leopards in China. According to the monitoring data of infrared camera, there are more than 24 snow leopards in Niandu Village, Ansai Township alone.
According to the news released by the township government, that night, the staff of the police station and health center in Ansai Township guarded the injured Ling Xue overnight, washed and bandaged his wound and found that his left hind leg was injured and suppurated, possibly a fracture. Because of the serious injury, the local area did not have the conditions for treatment, so we had to contact the department in charge of the Provincial Forestry Department and send it to Xining, the provincial capital about 700 kilometers away for treatment.
Due to the local snow and slippery roads, Ling Xue bumped in the car for 16 hours before arriving in Xining.
"Seriously injured wild animals often can’t stand long-distance bumps," said Diao Kunpeng, a project official of Shanshui Nature Reserve Center, who has rich field work experience. In an interview with The Paper, many times wildlife rescuers have to choose to use any available or even very simple equipment to carry out rescue at the first site, but the rescue effect is often poor. "If there are a group of professional frontline rescue forces, the rescue situation will be much better."
The first operation
After arriving at Xining Zoo, veterinarian Zhao Hailong disinfected, washed, reduced inflammation and bandaged the wound of Ling Xue’s left hind limb.
Zhao Hailong is the vice captain of the third feeding team, and he has participated in the long-term snow leopard feeding and rescue. He said that during the treatment, if the pain was not obvious, Ling Xue was almost unresponsive and in poor condition.
Qinghai Province is extremely rich in wildlife population and quantity, but Qi Xinzhang, deputy director of Xining Wildlife Park, has a headache. "There are no full-time staff to carry out wildlife rescue now, and all the rescues are done by Xining Wildlife Park part-time, so there are only a few people involved in the rescue."
The day after his arrival in Xining, Ling Xue was sent to Jiawang Pet Hospital for examination. It was preliminarily judged that the vehicle was injured, and the injury was more serious than expected. Qi Xinzhang said that according to the examination results, they made a conservative treatment plan for Ling Xue in the early stage, restoring physical strength first and preparing for the later thigh bone reduction surgery.
Why did you choose a pet hospital? Qi Xinzhang explained, "Xining Zoo has no medical equipment and other equipment, but the pet hospital has better conditions. If the situation is more serious, such as the rescue of another snow leopard ‘ Ling Shuang ’ At that time, the local pet hospital did not have MRI equipment, so we had to take it to the hospital where people were treated. "
After 14 days, Ling Xue’s trauma gradually recovered. Xining Wildlife Park discussed and decided to perform the thigh bone reduction operation on Ling Xue’s left hind limb on December 11th. After the broken bone wound was repaired and anastomosed, a 16 cm steel plate was added and 11 steel nails were driven into the left hind limb for fixation.
The thickness of periosteum of thigh bone of snow leopard is much thicker than that of cats and dogs. It is a great test for doctors to operate on large wild animals like snow leopard. Preoperative examination began at 10 am, and Ling Xue was not pushed out of the operating room until after 5 pm. After the reduction operation, Ling Xue’s fractured left hind leg bone was grafted, and everyone was happy with his good mental condition after the operation.
Fall down again
Unexpectedly, 43 days after the operation, Ling Xue collapsed again.
On January 27th this year, it was found that Ling Xue’s left hindlimb femur was fractured, three steel nails were broken, the steel plate was twisted, and the femur was displaced again.
According to Qi Xinzhang’s analysis, "the level of rescue is not enough, plus the lack of rescue experience and professional equipment, which failed to find and control its violent activities in time."
Yao Haifeng, president of Beijing Paishijiade Animal Hospital, explained the reasons for the failure of the first operation in an interview with The Paper. "The local treatment conditions and facilities are limited, the selected bone plate is unscientific, the screw implantation position is unreasonable, and it is not fully restricted in the later period, and the nursing experience is lacking."
Xining Zoo immediately organized a discussion between veterinarians and doctors in pet hospitals, and consulted senior veterinarians and ambulance personnel at home and abroad, but the feedback was very different.
On January 30th, in the face of many suggestions, Qi Xinzhang posted a help-seeking article on his WeChat platform, and finally contacted Yao Haifeng, the president of Beijing Paishi Jiade Animal Hospital, with the help of enthusiastic netizens.
Secondary operation
On February 5th, Ling Xue’s second operation plan was initially determined, but how to safely and smoothly deliver it to Beijing became a difficult problem for everyone.
Only one flight from Xining to Beijing has the aerobic cabin conditions for transporting living animals. Xining Wildlife Park entrusts China Southern Airlines, which can only transport small cats and dogs according to normal regulations. However, for the rescue of Snow Leopard, China Southern Airlines Headquarters agreed to fully cooperate. On that day, the flight refused to check all cats and dogs and cleared the goods.
On February 6th, near midnight, the flight carrying Ling Xue arrived in Beijing. Lu Yan, the director of Beijing Zoo Veterinary Hospital, who took care of Ling Xue after operation, has led a team to wait at the airport. Ling Xue was directly taken to the animal hospital and had an operation at noon the next day.
In an interview with The Paper, Yao Haifeng, the chief surgeon, recalled that Ling Xue was very uncooperative during the operation. It took four hours and fifty minutes from sedation and anesthesia to the end of the operation. "Snow Leopard is old, and the second operation is far more difficult than the first one. Moreover, it involves the process of removing the broken nail. Once there is too much blood loss, there is no blood bank to supplement it. Everyone is under great pressure during the operation."
Is this operation a success? Yao Haifeng explained to The Paper, "The completion of the operation is not a success. It can only be said that it was completed as expected. This is only the first stage of treatment. For the treatment of wild animals, the later care is very important. The first failure is because the later care conditions are not enough. "
Drawing lessons from the first operation, Yao Haifeng suggested to Xining Wildlife Park that Ling Xue should be cared for in Beijing Zoo in the later period, and the nursing environment and equipment are more advanced.
"online celebrity"
At noon on February 8th, Ling Xue was sent to Beijing Zoo Veterinary Hospital for postoperative care, and stayed in a nursing cage with a height of 1m, a length of 1.85m and a width of 0.8m specially designed for him.
Lu Yan, the head of the Snow Leopard Nursing Team and the director of the Veterinary Hospital of Beijing Zoo, said, "Drawing lessons from its violent activity after the first operation, the cage we designed can not only make it turn and lie down for moderate activities, but also limit its big jump."
To the delight of the nurses, Ling Xue began to eat on the day he arrived at the Beijing Zoo. In the first week of the surgical incision healing stage, the nursing team kept nursing for 24 hours. At present, Ling Xue is in the fibrous callus growth stage of bone healing stage, followed by the callus growth and formation stage, that is, the clinical healing stage.
"Ling Xue is older, so the healing time is longer. It will take one or two years to shape the skeleton. If there is no problem after three months of care, he will return to Xining Zoo for breeding." Lu Yan said.
According to Qi Xinzhang, deputy director of Xining Wildlife Park, Ling Xue is about 10 years old, which is equivalent to 50 years old.
Qi Xinzhang publicized the whole process of Ling Xue from discovery to treatment on the Internet, making it a "online celebrity".
Online publicity has played a great role in Ling Xue’s rescue, but not all snow leopards are as lucky as Ling Xue. "We have also experienced two failed rescues, and what we hope most now is to have a sound rescue organization with professionals and rescue equipment." Qi Xinzhang said.