As maybe the first in the world, FORCE Technology, the consulting engineers, has embarked upon a quite untraditional project: namely the scanning of an elephant.
Tempo, the male elephant of Aalborg Zoo, has been ailing for more than a year and has lost 25% of its body weight, but the veterinaries have been unable to discover what was the matter.
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The elephant is prepared for the ultrasound scan. |
Used to large sizes
FORCE Technology therefore suggested to Aalborg Zoo to use the company’s scanning equipment to look through the elephant’s skin of more than 2.5 cm in order to identify the problem in this way if possible. The equipment is normally used for scanning of wind turbine blades etc. so FORCE Technology is used to handling large sizes.
The only problem was that Tempo is a very restless elephant which might become dangerous to the zoo keepers and the scanning experts when all of them were to be together in the same room.
Female elephant as guinea pig
FORCE Technology therefore started with a dress rehearsal with Tanja, the far more quiet female elephant, and some magnificent scanning images were taken which, among other things, could disprove that the elephant was pregnant. Tempo, the male elephant, was standing right next to the event and took the whole commotion with regal calm so therefore expectations to his scanning were high.
However, subsequently the zoo keepers chose to drop the scanning of Tempo for security reasons as they assessed that he would not be able to stay quiet during the time it would take to scan him. Subsequently, the male elephant has started to feel better and has gained several kilogrammes without the veterinaries being able to offer a logical explanation.
