Makoko the gorilla 'doing well' after CT scan, will have surgery soon

Veterinarian Dr Kresen Pillay says Makoko is in a much better condition after having a CT scan at the weekend.

The 34-year-old male western lowland gorilla from the Johannesburg Zoo was airlifted to the Onderstepoort Veterinary Academic Hospital for a full medical examination, as he was suffering from a chronic nasal discharge and had not been responding to his routine medical treatment.

“His condition means he’s got inflammation in his nose and has a growth that has formed, which could be an allergy but we first need to confirm. Over time it has grown and now he has masses which have blocked his nasal passages,” said Pillay.

Makoko began showing the symptoms in December last year, he said. The condition would disappear temporarily after he received antibiotics but would eventually come back.

A team of about eight doctors has been examining him since May. After various tests, they discovered that Makoko had what Pillay described as “a pinkish mass that was blocking his nostril. It was swelling as if he was reacting to something.”

This meant Makoko had to undergo a computer tomography scan (CT scan), which for the 210kg gorilla is only available at Onderstepoort.

Driving all the way to Pretoria was not an option for the 34-year-old animal. 

“We had to consider how to get him there as fast as possible as he is an older animal and putting him under anaesthetic would have posed a risk for him during an hour’s drive to and from the hospital,” said Pillay.

Makoko's condition is rare among gorillas and more common in humans suffering from allergies and fungal infections, added Pillay.

The gorilla returned to Johannesburg Zoo on Sunday and now awaits his operation before his 35th birthday on July 9. The team will consist of a pathologist and an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist, among others.