Billy had the elephant equivalent of a cracked tooth that needed a crown.
The solution — part dentistry, part engineering — patched up Billy and could help zoo animals around the world.
Billy, a 7-year-old Asian elephant who came to the Denver Zoo in 2013, is considered a kid at heart who loves digging in the dirt with his tusks, eating melons, tossing logs around and swimming. The pachyderm’s playful spirit started taking a toll on his tusks — modified teeth that continuously grow throughout elephants’ lives.
When zoo staff members Rachael Chappell and Dennis Donovan and zoo veterinarian Betsy Stringer noticed wear and tear on Billy’s tusks last April, they wanted to take action before the inner tusk became exposed and infection set in.
The team knew they would have to cap Billy’s tusks to protect them, but pre-existing caps were a cumbersome eyesore, often made of an eye-catching metal that would distract a young, inquisitive elephant like Billy.
“We decided it’s 2016, and we’re the Denver Zoo,” Donovan said. “Rachael mentioned they make carbon fiber wedding rings that are durable, and it just went from there.”
They contacted a local aerospace engineer who designed a lightweight, nonintrusive cap in about two weeks that would be fitted to Billy’s left tusk and would take the brunt of his horseplay.
The cap — made of fiberglass layers — matches Billy’s ivory and looks like the head of a cotton swab stuck on the end of his tusk.
“Billy’s very ‘Ooh, shiny object,’ ” Chappell said. “With this cap, he’s less likely to mess with it.”
Other benefits of the innovation include the ability to X-ray Billy to check on his tusk growth, which is not possible with the typical metal cap.
To make the cap, zoo staff took a mold of Billy’s tusk, tossing food into his mouth while he stood still enough for the mold to set for about 10 minutes.
“We don’t force our animals to do anything,” Donovan said. “If Billy one day decided he didn’t want to participate, then that’s it. We’ll try again tomorrow with more melons.”
The cap, which was free due to donated labor and materials, was a perfect fit. In fact, his handlers said Billy didn’t even notice it.
“He smelled it for a minute, but I think he was just smelling the epoxy that was used to attach it,” Donovan said.
It seemed to work so well that they capped Billy’s right tusk, too.
Now, the zoo is being contacted by zoos across the country, asking for tips of the tusk trade.
Not only does the zoo credit the vet team and elephant caretakers for their collaboration and brainstorming, but also the discoveries from other zookeepers that have come before them.
“In this industry, you want the next person to one-up you,” Donovan said. “That benefits the animals. It’s not about you. It’s about what you can do for elephants across the board.”
There could be potential for this innovation to help wounded elephants in the wild, Stringer said.
