One of the amazing things about sanctuary work is how it brings together so many different people. Individuals with different skills, backgrounds, and interests collaborate to ensure that all the residents of CSNW receive the top-notch care that they deserve. From behaviorists, to veterinarians, to anthropologists, to dentists, to ultrasound experts, to fundraising gurus- it truly takes a village.
And, in this line of work, it takes a village of people who are always ready to step in and help- no matter the day, time, or situation. Today was one of those days where we needed the village. š
During a fight yesterday, Willy B sustained a traumatic near-amputation of the tip of a toe on his right foot. In other words, someone bit the end of his toe off but it was still attached. This was clearly a wound that was not going to heal easily or comfortably on its own without surgical intervention. After seeing the wound, Ellen, Chad, and Krissy immediately worked together to get Willy B isolated in the front rooms to better assess it and contacted the staff who weren’t on site. Erin and JB got to work on the logistics of the procedure.
Unexpected plot twist: a caveat of working with nonhuman primates is that we have to take very seriously not exposing the chimps to any illness that we might have. If we feel like we are coming down with a cold, sore throat, etc., we are not in the chimp house until we feel better. You likely have seen photos of staff wearing masks, which is a precaution we take since chimpanzees are so susceptible to human illnesses. Sunday morning we learned that JB and Diana would be out due to illness and yesterday evening we learned that Erin wasn’t well either, so the three of them would have to avoid the chimp house if at all possible.
It’s for this very reason that Dr. Erin and the team here at the sanctuary have worked so hard to establish a network of veterinarians, physicians, technicians, and nurses that can lend a hand or even take over entirely when primary veterinary staff aren’t available. It’s also the reason why Dr. Erin includes roles for staff members in every procedure, even when she has enough support, so that we all feel comfortable jumping in to help when it’s truly needed. Like today.
While Dr. Erin worked to put together a team for the procedure, we were also navigating the logistics of staffing to meet the needs for the chimp house. We needed people in the clinic and we also needed people taking care of our three bovines and other 14 chimps- cleaning, laundry, meds prep, meal prep, enrichment, etc. Since today is Monday, half of our staff were also on their weekends. Kelsi, Jenna, and Anna all sacrificed their Sunday to come in and help with the procedure and also with the running of the day.
Dr. Erin is amazing for a lot of reasons- not just because she is so wonderful at her job. From last night to this morning, she was able to put together a team of experts from her network for today’s procedure. Today, we had the pleasure of working with Dr. Donna Mensching (DVM and CSNW board member!), Dr. Yousef Jafarey (DVM), Spencer Soffe (CRNA), Christin Burns (Vet Assistant), and Jessica Mace (LVT). This was my first procedure that Erin hasn’t been on site for and I realized how much I’ve taken for granted the comfort that comes with having her here, because we all know she would do anything for these guys. I think I can speak for all of us, though, that as soon as the team she assembled arrived we all immediately felt like Willy B was in great hands. The team worked together to ensure Willy B got the best care. The last two bones in the injured toe were removed in order to get good wound closure and optimal healing and we will be keeping a close eye on him as it heals.
Dr. Donna Mensching working on Willy B’s toe:
Dr. Yousef Jafarey (DVM), Christin Burns (Vet Assistant), and Kelsi (Outreach Coordinator and also now X-Ray Technician?!) getting x-rays on his foot before toe amputation:
From left to right: Dr. Yousef Jafarey (DVM), Jessica Mace (LVT), Spencer Soffe (CRNA), Christin Burns (Vet Assistant), & Dr. Donna Mensching (DVM)
The procedure went smooth and Willy B has been recovering very well. As I write this, Ellen and Kelsi are by his room keeping an eye on him. š
A huge thank you to everyone who helped today run so smoothly. This is a darn good village to be a part of.
Feel better Willy.
Poor Willy B! I hope he’s back on his feet, minus one toe, soon! I also hope he is a wlling participant in PRT to assist in sedating him.
He did- Ellen was able to do a hand-injection! š
Poor Willy B, hope he recovers quickly.
But did I understand correctly, his toe was amputated by the Doctor, it couldnt be repaired? Just the tip bitten off was amputated or the whole toe??
The tip of his toe was almost entirely bitten off, but it was still attached. The vet team removed the last two bones in order to get good wound closure and optimal healing.
Oh my dear Willy B hope you have a quick recovery and are up and about soon. feel better. It sounds like you are in the best of care. Thank you all for taking such good care of him. Diana, J.B., and Dr. Erin, we are wishing you all well too.
i so hope Willy is feeling comfortable and heals quickly! And hope that whoever was involved in the fight has been able to “forgive and forget” so they can all live in harmony.
I concur with the preceding sentiments. Poor William… sometimes it’s just easy to be in existence. My deep wishes for an uneventful and steady recovery.
Oops, I meant to write “Sometimes it’s Not easy” to share living quarters with other wild creatures. Love and healing to you, W.B.
Sending healing thoughts and vibes to the primary patient as well as the ancillary ones who are ill. What a spectacular team effort. Willy B is one fortunate chimpanzee person and he will never miss that toe once he’s all healed up. Sad but amazing to read all about it Thank you Grace and all those who came in on their day off to keep the whole group fed, clean and well cared for in addition to all else that had to be done. Most humans don’t get such thorough and quick care š Bravo!!!!
Poor Wiily B. Athough we know that a finger or toe loss or part therof is common in chimp bites it is still traumatizing. Wow, what an awesome quick all hands (no pun intended) on deck to get him the emergency care he needed.
I do know chimps seem to have a tremendous power of healing. I wish him well on his recovery. I hope the humans who have been sidelined for a few days are recovering to 100%. All of you work too hard. Rest well, Willy B. Your remaining toesies will be back with your family soon.
Heal quickly, Willly B! :pray: may all ill staff members recover quickly also :heartpulse::pray:
Thanks to the entire team for coming in in the weekend and saving “the gorilla’s” toe!
Hope he’s soon in the mend and Diana and JB, I hope you’re both feeling better soon as well!
Oh Willy B hope you aren’t in too much pain and recover quickly. Many thanks to all the professionals who stepped in to help and to the back-up staff for keeping the sanctuary running in the interim. The sanctuary critters are lucky to have such a caring village. .Hope everyone else gets well soon too.
Willy Bā¦.Oh my poor boy! And yet, arenāt you the most fortunate fellow ever to be surrounded by all these caring and experienced people who came to your rescue in your time of need. What are the odds Dr. Erin, J.B., and Diana were sick at the same time and an āemergencyā occurs in the chimphouse? (I hope you all feel better soon.)
Thank you for sharing everything with us, Grace. You are lucky to always work with Dr. Erin. While it might have seemed a little scary without her, I bet you were proud of yourself and the amazing team for pulling together so quickly and tending to Willy Bās toe. He needs āoptimal healingā of that toe so he can continue to walk through the grass on the Bray!
Thank you to everyone involved today!
Thank you for taking such great care of Willy and all the other chimps. You are all heroes. Bless you all, heal quickly, Willy B.!!
So grateful that he is peacefully resting and recovering. Heartfelt thanks to everyone for the excellent care. What an amazing team.
Oh no, Willy!!! I hope you feel better soon, big guy. Snuggle up with some snacks and watch Ice Age or chimp videos! You’ll be back to your afternoon displays in no time!
I hope this doesn’t set him back too kich socially. Luckily, there are so many dedicated folks who are ready to jump in and help at a moment’s notice if anything goes awry.
Jambo the Alpha chimp at Twycross zoo in England had his toe bit off and it has not held him back. He is still very active and still the alpha. I’m sure Willy B will be ok.
Well done the CSNW team for all you do for the chimps.
Many thanks and compliments to all the participants who helped Willy B! Speedy recovery to the ailing fighter!:fingers_crossed:When I read about the precautions about avoiding the spread of human diseases, a question popped in my mind – are there any vaccines particularly for chimps to prepare their immune system to the viral infections coming from humans? Are there pharmaceutical companies developing such vaccines? Have you got any info about it? :mask:
I think that vaccinating is not done because what to vaccinate against….there is no ‘miracle’ pill against ‘Ćll’ human deseases.
And I also like to thank the team for their commitment and expertise to help out our Willy B. and the sanctuary.
You are all amazing people
Lots of love to Diana, J.B., and Dr.Erin.
I didn’t write “against all human diseases” – since the “miracle pill” doesn’t exist for humans either. I thought of the most common ones -influenza and Covid-19 for example.
Chimpanzees are not perfect models for all human diseases (they have a very different reaction to HIV, for example), but many chimpanzees that came from the laboratory world were used to develop human vaccines (I’m thinking primarily of hepatitis). There are vaccines that most captive apes usually receive, which are often the same as those for humans (tetanus, rabies, MMR, influenza, and now Covid), but as already stated, there is no miracle cure. And many apes are not historically exposed to the same pathogens as humans, so they have little to no natural immunity. A simple cold for us can be potentially life-threatening for them (think of Smallpox and indigenous Americans).
Thank you Laura for you kind reply. I think it’s a very interesting issue from both sanitary and ethical perspective, so I’ll start digging for more details on the web.:slight_smile:
Speedy Recovery Willy B!
Poor poor Willy B.
i wonder if the biter won’t feel a little remors once Willy is returned?
Hugs and scratches for speedy recovery Willy