gorillamom

The only thing I see wrong with this is these animals get free medical and dental care.

Doctors remove baby gorilla's cyst in Seattle

11:07 AM PST on Friday, January 11, 2008

Associated Press



Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo

The two and a half-month-old gorilla awakens after surgery to have a cyst removed at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle on Thursday, Jan. 10, 2008.

SEATTLE - Veterinarians and pediatric surgeons combined their efforts to remove a cyst near the spine of a baby gorilla at the Woodland Park Zoo, an operation they believe is the first of its kind.

During the hour-long operation Thursday morning at the zoo, surgeons from Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center joined zoo vets in removing the mass, which was 1.2 to 1.6 inches, said Dr. Richard G. Ellenbogen, a neurosurgeon and chairman of the department of neurological surgery at the University of Washington, which is affiliated with the hospital.

The surgery also confirmed that the as-yet-unnamed baby gorilla has a mild case of spinal bifida, which doctors said should not be a concern as she grows older.



Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo

Surgeons from Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center perform surgery on the baby gorilla at Woodland Park Zoo.


"This gorilla operation was an amazing "Star-Trek" type of experience for the team from Children's and the UW," Ellenbogen said.

The baby, the 12th successful gorilla birth for the zoo and the third offspring of Amanda, 37, and the father, Vip, 28, arrived in October with the cyst at the base of her back, but because of the way gorillas hold their babies it was some time before the deformity was noticed.

Experts hoped to wait until the gorilla was a bit older and could tolerate surgery better but grew concerned as recent tests showed it had become infected and was growing toward the spine, raising a risk of meningitis, said Dr. Kelly E. Helmick, the zoo's interim director of animal health.



Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo

The Woodland Park Zoo veterinary team monitors the baby gorilla in post-op.

Before the surgery, zookeepers trained the mother, Amanda, to carry her baby to them so they could give antibiotics to help fight the infection, Helmick said.

After the operation the gorilla was placed on a table outside of the operating room to be given fluids and kept warm in a large pink blanket while awakening from the anesthesia. After about 30 minutes the creature yawned and opened her eyes, her pink and purple pacifier at the ready and a small stuffed gorilla on the counter nearby.

As soon as zookeepers returned her to Amanda, the mother grabbed the infant and began nursing, Helmick said.

"It was a touching reunion between mom and baby," she said.

Gorillas naturally pick at each other to remove dirt and insects, so the sutures were buried under the skin and covered with surgical tissue glue, while Amanda's nails were painted red so she would be distracted and pick at her nails instead of at her baby's incision.

Recovery is expected to take up to two weeks and the prognosis is good, Helmick said.



Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo

Surgeons from Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center and the Woodland Park Zoo veterinary team with the gorilla in post-op.

Ellenbogen and other hospital personnel donated their time and Integra LifeSciences, a medical instrument company in Plainsboro, N.J., donated nearly $60,000 worth of spinal instruments to the zoo for the surgery.

Children's Hospital has about two to five cases a year similar to the one in the baby gorilla, Ellenbogen said.

"What we were able to do here was parallel to what we do in the human world," he said. "We were prepared for the worst and it turned out to be something we could treat and cure."
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__________________

The Clock of life is wound but once,
And no man has the power,
To tell just when the hands will stop
On what day or what hour.
Now is the only time we have,
So live it with a will,
Don't wait until tomorrow,
The hands may then be still.

Teri B.

Wow! That's pretty amazing. I wonder when they'll know the baby's in the clear. That infection part is worrisome.

gorillamom

I can tell you the one thing that is said when animals die at a zoo is "It's an infection!" Usually bacterial so they can't point fingers.

__________________

The Clock of life is wound but once,
And no man has the power,
To tell just when the hands will stop
On what day or what hour.
Now is the only time we have,
So live it with a will,
Don't wait until tomorrow,
The hands may then be still.

Heretic

There's an additional factor of geo-pathology that the zoos just aren't going to overcome for decades if ever. Certain species not only can adjust to new ecosystems, but outright hijack them, but othes are just screwed if they're not on their own side of the ecological street.

__________________
"Enough!!" -so rang Barack Obama's voice off the walls of Mile High Stadium

gorillamom

You got that right. The bears don't get to hybernate either! Or should I say, they aren't allowed to hybernate.

__________________

The Clock of life is wound but once,
And no man has the power,
To tell just when the hands will stop
On what day or what hour.
Now is the only time we have,
So live it with a will,
Don't wait until tomorrow,
The hands may then be still.

gorillamom

Here's some good video. It has the baby gorilla surgery and the tiger. Check out how close the tiger gets to the moat. I can't believe they are letting the public feed the giraffs! Or any animals for that matter.

http://woodlandparkzblog.blogspot.com/

__________________

The Clock of life is wound but once,
And no man has the power,
To tell just when the hands will stop
On what day or what hour.
Now is the only time we have,
So live it with a will,
Don't wait until tomorrow,
The hands may then be still.

gorillamom

Just thought I would bump this up to remind people of the wonderful medical care these captive beauties get, and the lack of care we humans get. Read the amount donated just for this surgery.

__________________

The Clock of life is wound but once,
And no man has the power,
To tell just when the hands will stop
On what day or what hour.
Now is the only time we have,
So live it with a will,
Don't wait until tomorrow,
The hands may then be still.