Chimp comes up champs after life-saving leg surgery
Robyn Wuth |
Fixing broken bones is serious work and there was no monkeying around when an orthopaedic surgeon was called in to mend the broken leg of a newborn chimp.
After a decade of fixing people’s fractures, David Wheatley suddenly found himself treating a patient only a few hours old, covered in fur and cradled in a zoo keeper’s arms.
Rockhampton Zoo vet Greg Muir had reached out after new-born chimp, later named Cassie, had a tumble that left one of her tiny limbs at an alarming angle.
“Over the years Greg has contacted me about advice on a few injured animals but as soon as I saw the picture of the little chimp with its bent leg, I said, I’ll be there in five,” Dr Wheatley said.
“Once it was sleepy enough we took a number of X-rays to determine the best course of action. It was a decent break.”
He worked with Dr Muir and the veterinary team to adapt human orthopaedic techniques to the baby primate, gently popping the bone back into place before applying a tiny fibreglass cast in what was potentially a life-saving procedure.
“There’s a first for everything,” Dr Wheatley said.
“Given her infancy, the decision to not cut her open and apply a cast was the best bet.
“She was an amazing little patient. Definitely the smallest patient I’ve ever had.”
Now a month old, Cassie has had her final check-up with the surgeon and is well on her way to recovery.
Dr Wheatley said the unusual case had generated plenty of interest from his colleagues.
“It’s not every day you operate on a chimp,” he said. It’s definitely up there as a career highlight.”
AAP