Elephant Tusks Repaired with New Resin Technique

There may be a new method to repair elephant tusks. A new resin is replacing the metal ring typically used to prevent cracks from furthering down an elephant's tusk.

Cracks in elephants' tusks have historically been repaired by adhering a metal ring to the tusk in order to stabilize the crack and prevent it from growing any further up the tusk. In fact, cracked tusks can become infected and pose problems for the elephant. Tusks with cracks that are left untreated have to be removed.

When the Birmingham Zoo approached Brian Phillay to create a metal ring, though, the researcher instead innovated the process.

Phillay actually applied some of the science the lab used in other materials processes in order to create a new, more robust and seamless treatment for the crack.

"When the team at the zoo asked me to create this metal ring, I thought, 'we can do better,'" said Phillay in a news release. "We can use what we know about materials development to make something that will work better for the elephant"

A team of veterinarians, animal care specialists and curators worked with researchers to prepare and then apply a composite fiberglass and carbon-fiber band and resin on the elephant's tusk.

"We worked with Dr. Phillay's lab to practice applying this product on a PVC pipe to start off with as a model," said Richard Sim, associate veterinarian at the zoo. "I went down to the UAB lab on two occasions to really try to hammer out the details of how this was actually going to work. The first time I went down, we had a very successful practice session, but our idea of how we were going to apply it to a real-life setting was just not going to work for the elephant."

The researchers then worked to perfect the process, and the end result was successful.

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