PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A beloved animal at the Phoenix Zoo is on the road to recovery after undergoing surgery for a rare type of cancer.

Several months ago, keepers noticed a small skin mass on 38-year-old Michael, one of the zoo’s orangutans. Staff noticed the mass was slowly growing near Michael’s armpit. The orangutan then had surgery to remove the mass back in June.

Pathology specialists in both primates and humans confirmed the diagnosis as apocrine carcinoma, cancer of the sweat glands. This type of cancer is extremely rare and can be invasive and aggressive.

Experts believe, to their knowledge, that this is the first documented case of this type of cancer in any orangutan.

“While apocrine carcinoma is an extremely rare cancer, our priority is to give Michael the best chance for

See Full Page