Nobody seems to enjoy their run ins with the health care industry these days. A trip to the hospital can be frustrating and scary. Throw a painful injury, shifting facilities, and a specialist into the mix and anybody would be rattled. But Benny Gibbon managed to keep in the swing of things recently.

It seemed like a regular day in Tropic World Asia. But keepers thought something was amiss as they watched the white-cheeked gibbons. Benny, the oldest male of the group was moving around from tree to tree, but he was favoring his right arm.

Gibbons are small apes native to Southeast Asia, where they can be seen swinging gracefully from treetop to treetop in the rainforest canopy. Gibbons have long arms and hands that are slightly hook-shaped. They stretch their arms out and swoop from branch to branch, a type of movement called “brachiation.” Gibbons can cover more than 20 feet---and sometimes more than 30 feet---in a single swing. They can move faster through the trees than any other primate in the world. Knowing this, Benny’s behavior struck keepers as very unusual. Though they had not seen anything happen on exhibit or in holding, they began monitoring him closely and called in zoo veterinarians to consult.

Brookfield Zoo Chief Veterinarian, Dr. Tom Meehan noticed that, “the arm looked normal, but it wasn’t being used.” Sharing the keepers’ concern, vets brought Benny to the zoo’s Animal Hospital where the problem was quickly diagnosed. X-rays showed that Benny had broken his left radius, one of two long bones in the forearm.

“It’s not an obvious injury because the other bone keeps the arm ‘stiff,’ making it look normal on exhibit,” said Dr. Meehan.

Wild animals are known to hide their health problems, but keepers were still amazed that Benny continued to brachiate on exhibit after breaking his arm. “A broken arm is just excruciating,” said lead keeper Carol Sodaro. “Benny’s pain tolerance was just incredible to be able to mask something like this.”

Trip to the Hospital
Hospital keepers swung into action once they found the break. It can be a challenge to keep a bandage and splint on any animal---but it is especially hard with a nimble ape like Benny. They managed to keep his arm splinted for a short time, but it was obvious that the bone would require surgery, so it was time for a road trip to…

…Berwyn?

Vets prefer a nearby destination when transporting any animal, but especially an endangered ape. The Berwyn Animal Hospital offers a nearby, high-quality surgical suite and, even more importantly, a doctor with serious experience. Dr. Tom Turner is a veterinarian orthopedic surgeon at the Berwyn Animal Hospital. He has a long-standing consultant relationship with Brookfield Zoo. Dr. Turner successfully completed the historic double hip replacement surgery on Beta Gorilla, which was the first time such a procedure had ever been attempted on a nonhuman primate. "His broad surgical experience has been a fantastic resource for the zoo," said Dr. Meehan, “Tom is really a great veterinary surgeon. I can count on his ability to manage, no matter how different the anatomy of the animal. It’s not close---it’s perfect every time.”

Good Break for Benny

Over the years Dr. Turner has gotten so much experience that he has learned to adapt surgical procedures and materials for dog and cat treatments to fulfill the needs of the zoo’s more exotic animals. In Benny’s case, a surgical plate was necessary to stabilize his arm. No plates are manufactured for use in rare primates like gibbons, so Dr. Turner modified an implant designed for use in cats and dogs. The plate is made of the same high tech Swiss surgical steel that would be used in a similar procedure on a human with the same injury. The metal plate is screwed to both sides of the broken bone while the patient is under anesthesia.

“Don’t Climb and Call Me in the Morning”
After surgery, Benny returned to the zoo for his recovery. After some time in the care of the Brookfield Zoo Animal hospital, he rejoined the other gibbons behind-the-scenes at Tropic World. The gibbon group includes Benny, female Indah, and their first offspring, Melouprey. Gibbons develop very strong social bonds, and pairs like Benny and Indah have been known to stay together for life in the wild. Mated pairs mark their territory and strengthen their bond to each other through very loud vocal displays; the sound of their “song” can be heard from nearly two miles away! Not long after the two were reunited, Indah and Benny’s calls could be heard throughout Tropic World.

Chief among the vets’ prescriptions for Benny was an order that he not brachiate for two months! This is hard for gibbons who are far more comfortable swinging in the trees than walking on the ground. Benny and the other gibbons would have to stay off exhibit for the entire time. To help compensate, Benny got a special treat---TV! Keepers all know that Benny, who was hand-reared in a German zoo at an early age, loves to watch television. During his convalescence extra viewing time helped to keep him stimulated. A steady diet of videotaped nature programs, Disney movies, and children’s shows engaged him to the point that keepers could hear him singing along! Benny often vocalized along with children singing on one of his favorite tapes.

The two-month climbing ban ended in January, and the gibbons were allowed back onto exhibit. Ever since, Benny and the rest of the group have been swinging in the trees like nothing happened! Life in Tropic World: Asia has returned to normal. Even the Asian small-clawed otter group, which has swelled to 10 individuals, has returned to its normal routine. They have been chasing the gibbons around the exhibit since the return.