Gorilla weighing 210 kilograms airlifted from Johannesburg zoo for medical examination

A gorilla weighing 210 kilograms was recently airlifted from its enclosure in a South African zoo so that it could be flown to a hospital for a CT scan and full medical examination. According to an international media outlet, Makokou, a 34-year-old western lowland gorilla from Johannesburg Zoo had been suffering from a chronic nasal discharge and he was not responding to regular medical treatment. 

While taking to Facebook, the Faculty of Veterinary Science, Onderstepoort, informed that Makokou since December 2019 had developed a discharge from his nose. With the recurrence of the symptoms, the doctors said that it indicated that there was a more serious underlying problem. Since road transport would have taken too long, the 34-year-old male gorilla was flown in a helicopter to a hospital located 64 kilometres from the Johannesburg Zoo. 

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While speaking to an international media outlet, Dr Kresen Pillay, who has been treating the gorilla, said that the team had to consider how to get Makokou to the hospital as fast as possible as he is an older animal and putting him under anaesthetic would have posed a risk for him during an hour’s drive to and from the clinic. 

While explaining the condition of the gorilla, Pillay said that he’s got inflammation in his nose and has a growth that has formed, which could be an allergy. However, Pillay also added that the doctors still had to confirm it as over time it has grown and has masses which blocked his nasal passages. 

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No cancerous cells found 

While sharing a series of photos and videos of the gorilla being flown and then treated, the hospital in the Facebook post wrote, “Prof Gerhard Steenkamp examined Makokou's nasal passages. He found that they were almost entirely blocked with what looked like several tumours. There was some relief that no cancerous cells were found in the biopsied tissue”. 

The hospital also shared a video of Makokou getting off the stretcher after the CT scan. In the video, one can see five people lifting the 34-year-old and putting him on a stretcher. The doctors also informed that Makokou is in a better condition now after the scan. However, the gorilla still has to undergo an operation before his 35th birthday on July 9. Makokou is currently back at his enclosure in Johannesburg Zoo. 

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