Friday, February 3, 2012
© Copyright 2013
Gwinnett Daily Post
ATLANTA (AP) -- A Bornean orangutan at Atlanta's zoo has become the first member of his species to participate in an awake cardiac ultrasound.
Zoo Atlanta partnered with sonographers from Children's Healthcare of Atlanta for the procedure on 8-year-old Satu. Primate keeper Patti Frazier encouraged consistent behaviors that would enable his voluntary participation in the procedure.
Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death among great apes in zoo settings. The Great Ape Heart Project is headquartered at Zoo Atlanta seeks to understand, diagnose and treat cardiac disease in gorillas, orangutans, chimpanzees and bonobos.
Zoo Atlanta is home to the nation's largest zoological collection of orangutans, with 13. It also has the largest collection of western lowland gorillas in North America, with 22.
More like this story
- Orangutans sit still for heart ultrasound at zoo ( April 23, 2012 )
- Atlanta zoo's Ozzie is oldest known male gorilla ( July 24, 2012 )
- Zoo Atlanta gorilla Lulu pregnant, due in spring ( August 23, 2012 )
- Memorial service set for Zoo Atlanta gorilla Ivan ( August 27, 2012 )
- Scientists investigate why Gorillas in zoos are dying from heart disease ( April 6, 2008 )
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