{"id":665090,"date":"2026-03-18T19:09:13","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T19:09:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/665090\/"},"modified":"2026-03-18T19:09:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T19:09:13","slug":"rare-monkey-gives-birth-just-months-after-surgeons-perform-foot-saving-operation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/665090\/","title":{"rendered":"Rare monkey gives birth just months after surgeons perform foot-saving operation"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"SWNS\"
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

A critically endangered monkey<\/a> has given birth just months after surgeons saved her foot in a pioneering operation.<\/p>\n

Masaya was the first ever roloway monkey to undergo surgery which removed a golf-ball sized mass from her foot.<\/p>\n

The 15-year-old primate had one toe amputated during the procedure at University of Liverpool\u2019s Small Animal Teaching Hospital.<\/p>\n

Little Lagertha was born two weeks ago and is Masaya\u2019s third daughter. Chester Zoo \/ SWNS<\/p>\n

Just months later, Masaya is walking tall after giving birth at Chester Zoo.<\/p>\n

Little Lagertha was born two weeks ago and is Masaya\u2019s third daughter.<\/p>\n

Zoe Edwards, primate keeper at Chester Zoo, said: \u201cMasaya is a very experienced mum and she\u2019s parenting magnificently.<\/p>\n

\u201cLagertha is only a few weeks old and is very dinky, but already curious about the roloway monkey habitat<\/a> and inquisitive about us.<\/p>\n

Masaya was the first ever roloway monkey to undergo surgery which removed a golf-ball sized mass from her foot. Chester Zoo \/ SWNS<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fact Masaya\u2019s foot has healed so well is a huge relief.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf she\u2019d had an amputation, we\u2019d have been left with real questions about whether she could hold her offspring or continue with her normal behaviours.\u201d<\/p>\n

The third successful birth represents a landmark moment in protecting the survival of roloway monkeys.<\/p>\n

Roloway monkeys at Chester Zoo originate from West Africa and are listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).<\/p>\n

The third successful birth represents a landmark moment in protecting the survival of roloway monkeys. Chester Zoo \/ SWNS<\/p>\n

In their natural habitat they are blighted by hunters and illegal pet dealers, who have triggered an 80 per cent fall in their numbers.<\/p>\n

Once common in the lush rainforests of Ghana and the Ivory Coast, the Roloway monkey now survives only in isolated pockets of old-growth forest.<\/p>\n

Primate keeper Zoe added: \u201cChester Zoo is one of only two places in the UK that roloway monkeys can be found, and Masaya is very important \u2013 not just to her family, but to her whole species.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are only a few breeding females in zoos in Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 15-year-old primate had one toe amputated during the procedure at University of Liverpool\u2019s Small Animal Teaching Hospital. Chester Zoo \/ SWNS<\/p>\n

Masaya had experienced recurring problems with her foot since she came to the zoo in 2023.<\/p>\n

Despite x-rays, ultrasounds and biopsies, vets struggled to identify the cause \u2013 eventually concluding a likely persistent abscess, possibly from an old thorn injury.<\/p>\n

When the swelling worsened in 2025, the decision was made to take Masaya to Liverpool for a CT scan.<\/p>\n

Charlotte Bentley, Veterinary Officer at the zoo\u2019s Animal Health Centre, said: \u201cIt\u2019s not every day you take a monkey<\/a> to vet school.<\/p>\n

Once common in the lush rainforests of Ghana and the Ivory Coast, the Roloway monkey now survives only in isolated pockets of old-growth forest. Chester Zoo \/ SWNS<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had to bring everything she might need, from anaesthesia equipment to medications and blankets.<\/p>\n

\u201cFollowing the scan, we decided an operation was the way forward. She\u2019s been an absolute trooper all the way through, and I\u2019m just glad we were able to do something for her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rachel Burrow, vet and lecturer at the University of Liverpool, played a key role in the CT scan and the operation.<\/p>\n

When the swelling worsened in 2025, the decision was made to take Masaya to Liverpool for a CT scan. Chester Zoo \/ SWNS<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cThis was the last chance to save Masaya\u2019s foot before amputation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWorking with primates is completely different from my usual patients, who are typically cats and dogs, and it was a real privilege to care for such a rare animal.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s great to see the surgery was a success \u2013 she\u2019s comfortable, active and using the limb well.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A critically endangered monkey has given birth just months after surgeons saved her foot in a pioneering operation.…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":665091,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[27],"tags":[118197,3425,44431,30341,9829,1165,31650,159,47641,67,132,68,837,4286],"class_list":["post-665090","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-amputation","tag-animals","tag-births","tag-endangered","tag-human-interest","tag-lifestyle","tag-monkeys","tag-science","tag-surgery","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us","tag-wildlife","tag-zoos"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116251758794051551","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/665090","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=665090"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/665090\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/665091"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=665090"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=665090"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=665090"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}