A 20+ year-old Nile crocodile who has lived at Disney’s Animal Kingdom since the park opened in 1998, has had a rather eventful Valentine’s Day which resulted in him losing the lower half of one of his legs this afternoon. This male is at least 15-feet long and weighs in at several hundred pounds!
He got into a fight with another croc in the exhibit in Africa when his foot was injured. The foot was damaged beyond repair and the veterinary team at the Conservation Station in Rafiki’s Planet Watch had to perform an emergency amputation of his lower leg.
The surgery began at 11:30 a.m. and the foot was completely detached by 1:00 p.m.
The unlucky croc is expected to make a full recovery and return to the exhibit once his incisions are completely healed.
These types of injuries are not uncommon in the crocodilian realm and are usually not life-threatening as the crocodile’s blood vessels will seal off following an injured limb.
The vet on staff said that they opted for amputation to give the crocodile the best quality of life possible rather than letting him drag around a damaged foot. Watch below for a short clip from the final moments of the surgery.
Have you ever witnessed a live surgery at the Conservation Station?
