AssetID: 53540442
Headline: RAW VIDEO: German Firm Build Model Leopard To Help Vets Train To Take On Big Cats' Gynaecology
Caption: Endoscopic examinations are a tough task for any vet - but imagine having to do one on a big cat! To help vets at Cincinnati Zoo’s Linder Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife (CREW), the gERMAN firm Vetiqo has built them a model leopard - with anatomy to practice reproductive examinations on. Marta is an Amur leopard simulator that is helping scientists at Cincinnati Zoo’s CREW train on transcervical endoscopic work. Her creators started out by taking a template from the body of a large dog and modelling it to resemble a female leopard. In order to adapt their canine model (Gyndog Gynnie) to a similar-sized feline, the Vetiqo team borrowed CT scans of Amur leopards to make key features (like head and feet) more accurate. “We gladly took on this challenge and turned our Gynnie Gyndog simulator into an Amur Leopard simulator,” representatives of the firm shared. “Though the body type of a leopard is very much different to the one of a dog, we tried to get as close as possible.” After hours of digital sculpting, manual sculpting, sanding, and hand painting they created Marta - a one-of-a-kind piece. She has artificially created silicone reproductive tracts that allows hands-on training, instrument handling, and skill refinement before conducting endoscopic exams on anaesthetised animals. While there may be slight variations in reproductive anatomy among big cat species, conducting reproductive examinations always means going through the combined natural opening of the urethra and the vaginal canal, so those who learn with Marta can also put their skills into practice on some of her even more frightening live relatives! In addition to Marta and their Gyndog model, Vertigo also make Castro and Weany, two piglets for vets to practice on, and animal paws and arms that enable vets to practice drawing blood for tests.
Keywords: feature,leopard,zoo,photo,video,big cats,marta,vets,animals,design,labour
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