Columbus Zoo, Nationwide Children's team up for surgery on monkey

POWELL, Ohio (WCMH) -- Columbus Zoo veterinarians and Nationwide Children’s Hospital doctors teamed up for a surgery on a mandrill in early September.

It may seem like an unlikely pairing, but the surgery was a major success.

Vets at the zoo noticed Matilda, a 13-year-old mandrill, was having some breathing difficulties. They suspected it was because of a nasal condition.

It’s not something veterinarians see often, so they consulted ear, nose and throat doctors at Nationwide Children’s Hospital to help Matilda.

Dr. Randy Junge, Vice President of Conservation Medicine at the Columbus Zoo, said vets’ and pediatricians’ patients share some similarities.

“Their patients are very much like our patients. We say they don't cooperate, they won’t tell you what's wrong and they won't do what you tell them to do,” Junge said.

Dr. Charles Elmaraghy, the chief of Pediatric Otolaryngology at Nationwide, led the team during Matilda’s surgery. It’s an operation he regularly performs on kids.

“It was strangely similar. And actually the primate anatomy, it was fairly safe to be able to operate on the nerves,” Elmaraghy said.

Since Matilda is 30 pounds and about the size of a toddler, both Junge and Elmaraghy were confident they could help the mandrill.

“The smaller instruments that are utilized in pediatric surgery were optimal for Matilda,” Elmaraghy said.

Everyone involved was fully committed to this operation.

“They even made a 3D printed skull of a mandrill so they could compare their instruments, make sure everything would fit and everything would work,” Junge said.

Matilda had her surgery in early September and both the zoo and the hospital said her breathing improved immediately.

"Immediately after the surgery, she was not audible. You could tell she was comfortable,” Elmaraghy said.

Vets are happy with Matilda’s progress.

“Matilda had a little bit of congestion the first day and since then she’s been 100 percent,” Junge said. “She has recovered so well and she was back in her group the same day.”

Matilda is out and about at the Columbus Zoo and people are able to go visit her.

“It was really fun to work with her and to have such a good outcome,” Junge said.

Matilda and the other mandrills all look very similar, so Junge said ask a keeper to help point out Matilda specifically.