Will the lion roar tonight?
Could wearing an Apple Watch every day mean no trips to the vet? A wildlife veterinarian is redefining the CAT scan by using the gadget to measure a lion’s pulse with astonishing accuracy. Check out the video for more details. A big hit on Instagram.
“This is truly a ‘tech meets conservation’ story,” explained Dr. Chloe Buiting, who goes by the handle @jungle_doctor on the platform and frequently shares photos of groundbreaking conservation work on Instagram, in the video’s caption.
In one of her recent videos, the veterinary surgeon shared a clip of her using her Apple Watch to monitor the heart rate of a sedated lion, a technique she said she learned from her colleague, conservation veterinarian Dr. Fabiola Quesada.
The video shows Simba sprawled out on a table with the device wrapped around his tongue, measuring the animal’s rotational speed as he snores — like a cross between “Inspector Gadget” and “Dr. Doolittle.”
“I’m not sure which is more exciting: the snoring, or the discovery that you can measure a lion’s heart rate by wearing an @apple Watch on its tongue (one of the less common ‘off-label’ uses of the device),” explains Buiting. “This discovery is particularly useful because one of the biggest challenges working with animals in the field is monitoring anesthesia without many of the capabilities typically needed in a hospital.”
The vet added that the feat was particularly impressive given that most heart rate monitors are designed for small animals, not the kings of the jungle.
Animal rights activists claim that they have actually used this hack to monitor an elephant’s heart rate by taping an Apple Watch to its ear.
“It’s great to see technological advances in conservation,” Buiting added, speculating that timing Mufasa’s metronome “may not have been Apple’s plan.”
Social media users were both impressed and amused by the Apple Watch’s cross-species applications.
“I saw this too. Amazing. Thank you for sharing,” exclaimed one fan, while another wrote, “Genius!”
“Just waiting for the dentist appointment reminder to pop up,” joked a third. “But seriously… necessity is the mother of invention.”
This isn’t the first time the Apple Watch has demonstrated its Swiss Army-esque versatility.
In April, a New York man claimed a wrist-worn device saved his life by calling 911 after a horrific bicycle accident that left him looking like a “monster.”
