Tower of London Raven Healthchecks
The veterinary department at ZSL London Zoo is responsible for performing regular health checks on the ravens (Corvus corax) living at the Tower of London. With the arrival of two new ravens, full health checks needed to be carried out.
Ravens have a long history at the Tower of London; legend says that if the ravens ever leave the Tower, then “both Kingdom and Tower will fall”. Charles II decreed that at least six ravens must be kept at all times to ensure this does not happen.
Recently, the Ravenmaster visited our vet department with his two new ravens- 23 week old Hugine III and Gundolf II, so that full health checks could be carried out. First, their body condition was assessed by looking at their pectoral muscles and wings and feet for any damage, and listening to their heart and lungs for any signs of abnormalities. Microchips were implanted into both ravens, so that they can be easily identified in the future.
Faecal samples were taken to check for endoparasites, feathers were checked for ectoparasites and blood samples were sent off for analysis. Full body radiographs were taken to check for a healthy functional skeleton, and to make sure that the rest of the internal organs look normal.
The health checks highlighted no real problems. Hugine III was found to have an old healed folding fracture in her femur, but as she was able to use her leg fully it was decided to monitor for now. Our vets carry out regular checks on the other ravens at the Tower of London throughout the year to make sure the birds stay healthy.