Inside Hellbender Salamander transmitter surgery at the Nashville Zoo

Shelby Mac
·2 min read

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Twenty-seven hellbender salamanders were inserted with transmitters this week at the Nashville Zoo.

The transmitters are surgically inserted into the native Tennessee critters so that once they have been released into the wild, the Nashville Zoo can track their location and survival rate.

  • Hellbender
    (Photo: WKRN)
  • Hellbender
    (Photo: WKRN)
  • Hellbender
    (Photo: WKRN)

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But, these surgeries are much more involved than you would expect: let’s take it step by step.

  • The hellbenders are brought into the operating room in containers filled with water.

  • MS Triple Two anesthetic is put into their bath so their skin will soak up the anesthesia.

  • After about 15 minutes, the nurse checks the hellbenders righting reflex by turning it on it’s back. If it tries to turn back over, it’s not ready for surgery, but if it doesn’t move, surgery can begin.

  • A towel is soaked into the anesthetic water so the salamander can continue to get anesthesia through surgery.

  • The hellbender is removed from the bath and set on the towel. It is covered in a saline solution through out the surgery.

  • Louden Wright, the associate veterinarian for the Nashville Zoo, has done some of the operations and begins by prepping his surgical tools.

  • An incision is then made on the salamander so that the transmitter can be inserted.

  • The transmitter is checked to make sure it works.

  • Wright inserts the transmitter into the hellbender.

  • The incision is then stitched up with a two-layer closure, meaning they close the muscle and the skin on top.

  • An antibiotic is injected into the hellbender to help with discomfort while it wakes up from surgery.

  • It is then placed into a bath of fresh water and put into a tank to wait for it to wake up from the anesthesia. They take anywhere from 45 to 90 minutes to wake up.

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The release takes place each May in local waterways. The surgery happens months in advance so the hellbenders have plenty of time to heal.

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