SEATTLE — Surgeons from Children’s Hospital helped veterinarians at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle remove an infected cyst near the spine of a baby gorilla.
During the surgery Thursday, doctors found the 3-month-old gorilla has mild spina bifida, but that is not expected to be a concern as she grows older.
The Children’s Hospital experts donated their time, and the Integra Life Sciences company donated nearly $60,000 worth of medical instruments.
The zoo’s Dr. Kelly Helmick says she’s optimistic everything went well. Recovery is expected to take up to two weeks.
After the hour-long operation the baby, who has not been named, was returned to her mother, Amanda, and began nursing. Zookeepers painted Amanda’s nails red so she would be distracted and pick her nails instead of the baby’s incision.
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Information from: Seattle Post-Intelligencer, http://www.seattle-pi.com/
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