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Zoo Loses Second Gorilla To Cancer
BY: Rod HackneyDec. 16, 2009
ASHEBORO--The 2009 Christmas season will not go down in the history books as a happy one for the North Carolina Zoo staff. For the second time in as many days a gorilla undergoing treatment for cancer was euthanized Wednesday after zoo veterinarians determined her health had dramatically deteriorated and would not improve.
Katie, a 36-year-old female gorilla, was euthanized shortly before noon Wednesday by veterinarians at the zoo's Hanes Veterinary Medical Center. Katie had been at the N.C. Zoo since July 1989 after being transferred from the San Diego Zoo. On Tuesday zoo veterinarians decided to euthanize Donna, a 42-year-old female gorilla, after more than 2 ½ years of treatments for cancer.
According to Chief Veterinarian Dr. Mike Loomis, Katie had been diagnosed last May with non-operable cancer in her reproductive tract. Her treatments since then had included radiation therapy at the N.C. State University College of Veterinary Medicine in an effort to shrink the tumor, make her more comfortable and "give her more time,” Loomis said. But an examination performed last week revealed that the tumor had grown.
"Katie's condition deteriorated rapidly on Tuesday," Loomis explained. "She had stopped eating and would not respond to keepers.
"The decision to euthanize both gorillas was based on their welfare and quality of life and was done with the consultation of everyone involved in their care," Loomis added.
Among those most affected by the gorilla losses are the N.C. Zoo keepers who provided the daily care for these endangered great apes.
"I’m going to really miss her," said keeper Robyn Rousseau, who had worked with Katie for more than 17 years. "Katie was my favorite. She had such a great personality."
Loomis noted that both Katie and Donna had received the finest care available, including consultations with human medical specialists at Duke University Medical Center and the Carolina Center for Reproductive Medicine in Cary as well as the veterinary experts at N.C. State.
"One positive outcome from all this is the number of veterinary students and residents who have learned about gorilla medicine as a result of working with these animals,"observed N.C. Zoo Senior Veterinarian Dr. Ryan DeVoe. "Those include several veterinarians who wound up working directly with wild gorillas in Uganda and Rwanda."
In addition to Katie and Donna, the zoo also lost female gorilla Hope, age 35, in May of this year. Hope became famous in March 1989 when she gave birth to "Kwanza," the first and still the only gorilla ever born at the N.C. Zoo. Unlike Katie and Donna, Hope's medical problems were not associated with cancer but a variety of illnesses, several related to old age,including severe arthritis, high blood pressure, detached retinas and arterial sclerosis. In the wild gorillas seldom live beyond their 30s.
"This is a sad day for all of us at the zoo and in many ways represent the passing of an era with the loss of these members of our gorilla family," said Zoo Director Dr. David Jones. "These venerable ladies have been with us a long time. They've always received the best of care and, especially in their twilight years, the finest medical attention available. The entire zoo staff feels for our colleagues who have been close to these wonderful animals, some for many years. We understand the sadness they are going through right now."
The zoo's 18-year-old male gorilla, Nikosi, remains on exhibit and in good health. Two young female gorillas are also scheduled to be transferred to the N.C. Zoo in 2010 from the San Diego Zoo and Oklahoma City Zoo. Those transfers were approved some time ago by the Gorilla Species Survival Plan, a conservation program of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums.