A 109-year-old giant tortoise went for a specialist CT scan as part of her ongoing health care.
Esmerelda, the Aldabra giant tortoise, made the journey to a specialised care facility to have an endoscopy and a CT scan to ensure that everything was okay.
In a video uploaded by Taronga Zoo, Esmerelda can be seen being escorted by multiple zookeepers to her scan.
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Esmerelda was placed inside the CT scan to get advanced imaging, reports What’s the Jam, to provide a detailed look at the giant tortoise’s health in greater detail than would otherwise be available to the zoo.
Kresen, one of Taronga Wildlife Hospital’s veterinarians, said: “Esmerelda is a very special individual to us. She’s 109 years old and 135kg, so there’s quite a lot of meticulous planning that goes into taking such an animal off-site for specialist imaging.
“We’re still waiting on the full comprehensive report from the CT and the endoscope, but preliminary findings show that her food pipe, the area where she intakes her food and goes to her stomach, seems to be a bit enlarged.”
“The scope allowed us to visualise this and make sure there’s no other foreign material in there.”
Following Esmerelda’s grand adventure off-site, the 109-year-old was safely returned home to her habitat and was spotted alongside her companion, Lance.
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The video received a combined 451,000 views across social media, with 27,000 likes and 390 comments.
One person said: “Can you imagine the things she’s seen, the places she has lived and the people she has met, that cared for her and loved her in order to be this age?!”
Bella added: “She’s like ‘what in all my hundred years is going on today?!’”
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Jodie said: “Esmeralda looking like the Queen she is.”
Another person commented: “She is gorgeous. Thank you to all who love and care for her.”
One person said: “Awww thats so lovely. How beautiful is she.”
Taronga Zoo is located near Sydney, Australia.
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