Derek Fox, associate director of MU’s Comparative Orthopaedic Laboratory, will discuss his experience with Sulley, a 400-pound tiger operated on by MU veterinarians, at 7 p.m. tonight in the Life Sciences Center’s Monsanto Auditorium.
Abused as a cub, Sulley suffered from severe malformations of his front legs. In March 2007, Fox and a surgical team performed a six-hour surgery — the first of its type on a tiger — to correct the abnormality in his right leg. Without the surgery, Sulley’s condition would have continued to deteriorate. However, due to complications, Sulley was euthanized on April 14, 2007.
The event is sponsored by Mizzou Tigers for Tigers, which works to educate the campus and local community about tiger conservation and to raise money for research and education programs. For more information, visit tigers.missouri.edu/AboutStudentOrg/studentwhat.php.