Surgeon Operates To Rescue Chimp With Rare Deformity

An orthopaedic surgeon at the University of Liverpool has performed a groundbreaking operation on a chimp in Cameroon to correct a deformity more commonly seen in dogs.

The three year-old chimp called Janet was rescued from the Cameroon pet trade last year and now lives in a chimpanzee reserve supported by the Cameroon Wildlife Aid Fund. Janet was unable to climb and had difficulty walking because a bone in her forearm – the ulna – had stopped growing.

It is thought that her condition, known as angular limb deformity, is a congenital problem, but could also have been caused or aggravated by being chained at the wrist by traders. This forced the arm’s radius to grow in a circular manner making her arm severely bent. Vets have seen the deformity in dogs before but never in chimpanzees and were called in to assess Janet’s condition.

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Tags: Angular Limb Deformity, Cameroon, Cameroon Wildlife Aid Fund, Chimpanzees, Dogs, Orthopedic Surgery, Primates, Uncategorized, University of Liverpool, Veterinary Medicine