KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A Chimpanzee from Zoo Knoxville has undergone what might be the first documented spinal surgery performed on its species after zookeepers noticed symptoms that led veterinarians to discover the chimp had a tumor pressing on his spinal cord.
Zoo Knoxville released on Friday that Mwelu, a 34-year-old chimpanzee, is recovering well after undergoing a groundbreaking spinal surgery on September 19.
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The surgery, which the zoo said is believed to be the first documented procedure of its kind performed on a chimpanzee, was conducted at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine through a collaboration between Dr. Talisha Moore, a veterinary neurologist, and Dr.James A. Killeffer, a human neurologist at the University of Tennessee Medical Center (UTCVM).
Before the procedure, zookeepers noticed that Lu had begun showing signs of weakness in his hind legs. Veterinarians at UTCVM examined Mwelu. An MRI uncovered that there was a tumor pressing on his spinal cord, which left surgery as the best option to preserve Mwelu’s quality of life and mobility.
After a CT scan to ensure that there were no signs of cancer anywhere else in Mwelu’s body, he was scheduled for surgery…