CBD and Tigers? Clovis Zoo tests out new treatment for arthritis
'He's very friendly as much as a tiger can be friendly,' said Stephanie Chavez, Clovis Zoo Director. Sooner is the 13-and-a-half-year-old tiger who calls the Clovis Zoo home and has been suffering from arthritis.
'He would wake up, especially during wintertime, he was very limpy, he would like whine, he would hold his feet up and put his paw up, and he would lick them a lot,' said Chavez.
BioPark readies Heritage Farms renovations debut
To treat the disease, Sooner was put on Tramadol and Gabapentin. But to try and avoid liver and kidney strains, which often accompany those medications, caretakers thought outside of the box.
'And then our vet, who works at Clovis Veterinary Hospital, Dr. Scott, she said she had read about a case study where CBD was used on lions,' said Chavez. And that's when Sooner became the first tiger in the country to use CBD.
'He gets one mil in the morning and one mil at night with his big chunk of meat, and it was just, like I said, it was a big game changer for us,' said Chavez.
The zoo received its CBD product from Enchanted Desert Farms in Portales and is seeing positive results. 'He's doing amazing things that, you know, a younger tiger would be able to do,' said Chavez.
Great Ape-ril Adult Night at the ABQ BioPark
From chuffing to rubbing against fences, and overall greater movement capabilities, zookeepers report the treatment has completely changed Sooner's quality of life for the better.
'How do you tell a tiger is happy? You can just tell, you can just tell,' said Chavez.
'There's so many benefits that have come from CBD, and I think a lot of zoos in the world would benefit from it, especially when it comes to our older animals,' said Chavez.
The Clovis Zoo hopes other zoos across the country will learn from Sooner's experience and that they're able to use the same treatment with other animals.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
10-08-2025
- Yahoo
Albuquerque City Council expands ‘HEART' ordinance
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – It's the first night back from summer break for Albuquerque city councilors, and on Monday night, councilors expanded an ordinance to help protect animals. The HEART ordinance, or the Humane and Ethical Animal Rules and Treatment Law, was enacted in 2006 to control the overpopulation of animals in the city. Rail Yards Market exploring adding a permanent daily market space Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn proposed an update that requires the immediate seizure of any animals being sold or given away on sidewalks, parks, parking lots, and other public property. These animals will be spayed or neutered, microchipped, and held for 10 days before adoption if unclaimed. If people do not follow the proper permitting, they could face a petty misdemeanor charge and have their animals taken from them. 'I really want to make sure these changes are about people who are illegally selling dogs and so lets keep it to that because I think homeless people, I know some and they are on the streets and those dogs, they take better care of them then they do themselves and they also use those dogs for protection,' said City Councilor Klarissa Peña. The ordinance passed unanimously. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
10-08-2025
- Yahoo
New Mexico expands SNAP benefits for residents impacted by disaster
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – New Mexico has temporarily expanded SNAP benefits for residents impacted by disaster to allow them to purchase hot and ready-to-eat foods from deli departments. The temporary change applies to customers in Lincoln, Chaves, De Baca, Guadalupe, Otero, Sierra, Socorro, and Torrance counties and will remain in effect through Aug. 30. Four people dead in medical transport plane crash near New Mexico, Arizona border 'When disaster happens, families shouldn't have to worry about how they're going to put a hot meal on the table,' Kyra Ochoa, deputy secretary for the Health Care Authority, said in a news release. 'The ability to buy ready-to-eat, warm meals for themselves and their families can make a significant difference as they navigate tough circumstances.' The waiver applies only to deli departments at EBT-authorized retailers and does not include restaurants or non-EBT-authorized retailers. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Washington Post
31-07-2025
- Washington Post
Va. teen drowns at Assateague Island amid calls for increased lifeguards
An 18-year-old drowned last Thursday while swimming at Assateague Island National Seashore, a popular beach managed by the National Park Service that has struggled to staff lifeguards following cuts to federal funding. The victim was identified Tuesday as Cresencio Lucas Chavez Velasquez of Parksley, Virginia. He and another person were swimming near the southern end of the Chincoteague Beach parking lot around 4 p.m. when a relative alerted lifeguards that the two swimmers were struggling offshore, according to the National Park Service. The other swimmer was successfully rescued, but Velasquez was unconscious and unresponsive when he was pulled from the water. He received CPR on-site and was then transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to the Park Service. The incident occurred 150 yards south of the 'lifeguarded zone' of the seashore, on the Virginia end of a 37-mile island divided between that state and Maryland, according to the NPS. The drowning occurred during staffed hours, though it is unclear where the closest lifeguard stand was. 'On duty lifeguards responded quickly and assisted with the search,' the Park Service said in a news release. 'We are thankful for our local partners who assisted in the search effort and work hard every day.' According to the American Lifeguard Association, a national educational organization that promotes water safety programs, 150 yards is considered too far for stationed lifeguards to be able to effectively respond to incidents, especially in open water with waves and currents. Beyond 100 yards, it becomes more difficult for a lifeguard to spot distressed swimmers and respond within a short but critical window, the association's spokesperson said. 'This highlights the importance of adequate staffing and spacing based on the full stretch of public-use shoreline,' he told The Washington Post. Velasquez's family could not be reached for comment. Assateague is one of the most visited National Park sites, receiving over 2.5 million visitors annually. Like other beaches managed by the National Park Service, Assateague Island was unable to staff its lifeguard stands for much of the summer because of the Trump administration's employee reduction efforts and a federal hiring freeze — which was implemented in January, around when the agency usually starts hiring lifeguard staff for the warmer months. The island typically staffs 13 lifeguards, with six on the Maryland side, six on the Virginia side and a chief lifeguard. Community members, vacationers and politicians have been voicing concerns about the lack of staffing on the island for months. On July 11, Maryland Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks co-wrote a letter to the Trump administration urging it to fill vacant lifeguard positions at Assateague Island. They noted that it is 'unclear why the Department did not count lifeguards as 'public safety' personnel, which would have omitted them from the hiring freeze.' Seasonal employees were granted exemption from the federal hiring freeze on May 2, though the NPS was still unable to staff lifeguarding positions, according to the senators' letter. The senators did not receive a formal responses to the letter but have been in contact with the NPS about lifeguard staffing. NPS did not respond to questions about the number of lifeguards currently staffed on the island or why the agency did not staff lifeguards after the hiring freeze exemptions were made, and referred The Post to its news release on the incident. Accomack County supervisors voted on July 11 to manage lifeguard operations on Virginia's portion of the island for the rest of the summer, using local, county and federal funds to pay for the program. The Virginia side of the island has been staffed from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. since July 17 and will continue to have lifeguards on duty daily through mid-August, then weekends through Labor Day. The island's shores are known for strong riptides. In 2024, Chincoteague emergency services responded to 34 calls on the island, and lifeguards were responsible for 24 rescues, according to the Shore Daily News, an outlet covering the Eastern Shore. On the Virginia section of the island, there were recently life-threatening situations during which 'good Samaritans' had to help until emergency services could arrive, Chincoteague Mayor Denise Bowden told the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
