UP veterinary experts treat Makokou the gorilla after historic helicopter flight

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A very special patient was airlifted under risky circumstances from the Johannesburg Zoo to the University of Pretoria’s (UP) Onderstepoort Veterinary Academic Hospital, after his condition had veterinarians worried.

When Makokou, the 34-year-old western lowland gorilla who had developed a worrying nasal discharge did not respond to treatment, Dr Kresen Pillay from the Zoo called for help. A team compromising specialists from the Faculty of Veterinary Science at UP, staff from the Johannesburg Zoo Veterinary Hospital, and a diagnostic imaging team from IMV imaging SA conducted the initial health exam of Makokou.

After this examination, the specialists decided Makokou needed a CT scan. Professor Adrian Tordiffe, a veterinary wildlife specialist from UP, said the CT scanner at Onderstepoort used for horses and other large animals was ideal since Makokou weighs 210kg.

“The problem was the distance from the Johannesburg Zoo to Onderstepoort. It would have been difficult to transport him awake. Even with heavy sedation he would be traumatised by the experience and we wanted to keep his stress levels to a minimum. Road transport would take more than an hour each way and that would also increase the anaesthetic time and the associated risks, especially in heavy traffic,” Prof Tordiffe continued.