Rumenolith in a Greater Kudu Antelope (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) kept in Zoo

Abstract

A dead, three-and-a-half year-old, female Greater Kudu antelope, weighing 194 kg was presented to the State House Veterinary Clinic Abuja, and was reported to have died the previous night. It had been showing frequent attempt to urinate, rolling on the ground, depression and off-feed for a few of days immediately prior to its death. It was said to have been in an enclosure, on zero grazing, but fed routinely on groundnut haulms and brewer’s bran. There was no cutaneous or muscular damage, except for signs of rigor mortis on physical examination of the carcass. Post mortem examination conducted revealed an irregular-shaped oblong mass in the rumen amidst the ingesta, which when exteriorized, felt hard and compact. The mass was discovered to be a rumenolith (mineral concretion in the rumen) weighing 2 kg. Other foreign materials found were a band of rubber tube and a broken piece of dry cell lead battery. Obstruction of the normal flow of rumen ingesta by the rumenolith was diagnosed to have resulted in the death of the Kudu. To the best of our knowledge, this present case is probably the first report of a rumenolith in Greater Kudu in Nigeria.