Operation on Elephant at Tbilisi Zoo Filmed by the BBC

Veterinarians performed a four-hour long operation on an elephant at Tbilisi zoo to remove his broken tusk. The long-awaited operation was filmed by the BBC as part of an upcoming series.

Grandi, a male elephant, underwent an initial surgery to remove his two broken tusks in 2014. However, due to complications, it was only possible to remove one. The operation to remove the second tusk was delayed by the floods in Tbilisi in June 2015. Finally, the second operation was only carried out on October 31.

Wednesday’s operation was performed by South African specialist Gerhard Steenkamp and   Adrian Tordiffe. It was filmed by a BBC crew as part of the new series Big Animal Surgery, which follows large animals and their veterinarian treatment around the world. The filming will be aired on BBC at a later date.

By Amy Jones 

Photo: Youtube