World's first artificial hip for German tiger

A tiger at an east German zoo has had a hip replacement in a world first operation by vets from the University of Leipzig. The eight-year-old Malaysian tiger, called Girl, had been suffering from arthritis in her right hip since spring. Now she has been given a prosthetic hip of the kind first developed for dogs.

The operation was not easy. During the three-hour procedure last week, Girl's heart almost stopped, the university said in a statement, and only a quick intervention of anaesthetist Michaele Alef saved her life. Girl is recovering in a separate enclosure back in Halle Zoo in Saxony-Anhalt, away from visitors. She is being carefully monitored for the next six weeks, when the risk of dislocation is highest.



The university says there is every chance she will take the new hip to her grave – female Malaysian tigers have a life expectancy of around 20 years. Leipzig vets said they believed their operation was the first of its kind. "I don't know of any other cases in the world where a tiger has been given an artificial hip joint," Peter Böttcher, in charge of the operation, said. Artificial hips of the kind used in Girl's operation were first developed by professor Pierre Montavon, from the University of Zurich, with the Swiss firm Kyon.

They contain titanium for better performance and durability. In recent years, they have also been implanted in humans. The operation is usually expensive, but Leipzig carried out Girls's free of charge because she is such a rare creature. "Malayan tigers are one of the world's most endangered species, with only around 500 estimated to be living in the wild. This was another reason to operate on Girl," the university statement said.