KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A Chimpanzee from Zoo Knoxville has undergone what might be the first documented spinal surgery performed on its species after zookeepers noticed symptoms that led veterinarians to discover the chimp had a tumor pressing on his spinal cord.

Zoo Knoxville released on Friday that Mwelu, a 34-year-old chimpanzee, is recovering well after undergoing a groundbreaking spinal surgery on September 19.

The surgery, which the zoo said is believed to be the first documented procedure of its kind performed on a chimpanzee, was conducted at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine through a collaboration between Dr. Talisha Moore, a veterinary neurologist, and Dr. James A. Killeffer, a human neurologist at the University of Tennessee Medical Center (UTCVM).

See Full Page