Binga, a 23-year-old silverback gorilla weighing in at 180 kg, was diagnosed with periodontal disease.
This is a disease that affects the gums around one of his molar teeth.
Periodontal disease is more common in humans, and similarly affects gorillas and other great apes.
Binga was treated by a multidisciplinary team made up veterinary dentistry and maxillofacial specialist Prof Gerhard Steenkamp, veterinary specialist in wildlife health Prof Katja Koeppel, resident Dr Giovana Martins, diagnostic imaging specialist Dr Nicolene Hoepner, Sr Michelle Cruywagen and Sr Jenna Wright from the Faculty of Veterinary Science, as well as students Nicole Hassell and Elmar van Aardt (both veterinary science), and veterinary nursing student Alicia Gouws.They were joined by veterinary specialist in wildlife diseases Dr Agustina Fitte and Mr Radion Khoza (gorilla handler) from the Pretoria Zoological Garden.
Together, the team worked tirelessly to prepare Binga for the procedure through careful training and expertise.The University of Pretoria said to access Binga’s mouth for treatment, the team used general anesthesia.
“Anesthesia can be complex when working with great apes—gorillas, orangutans, bonobos, and chimpanzees—due to their size and behaviors. However, veterinary specialists emphasized that whenever these animals are anesthetized, it provides an opportunity to gather as much health information as possible. This minimizes the need for future anaesthesia and allows veterinarians to detect health issues early.”
Photos by Dr Giovana Martins and Prof Katja Koeppel.