The Terra Natura Benidorm veterinary team has made an ophthalmologic intervention on a llama (Lama glama) to cure an ulcer in the cornea. The zoo keepers detected a few days ago that the female, called Tuakpu, 17, had an inflammation in her left eye. After being examined by the experts, an anaesthesia was programmed with the objective of thoroughly examining the animal’s eye and confirming what pathology it presented.

In this first review they saw that the eye had a high opacity due to corneal oedema, which did not allow to see the internal structures of the iris, the lens and the retina, among other parts. Therefore, a fluorescein test was done to see the condition of the cornea. The test consisted is applying a colourant to the eye and then washed with serum. They could see how the colourant stained the damaged part, thus confirming the existence of an eye injury.

To heal the ulcer, a treatment has been applied covering the cornea completely for two weeks in a way that favours its regeneration, and analgesics have been administered to avoid any possible discomfort to Tuakpu, who arrived at Terra Natura Benidorm in 2005. At present, this conservation space has a group of llamas formed by four individuals that live in the area of ​​America.

The llamas generate a thick wool that in some cases can reach up to three kilos of fleece. In some places these animals are used to develop pastor shepherd dog’ tasks. They are very strong and they can carry more than 60 kilos, in some places they use them to transport goods.