No “Mission Impossible” after airlifting a gorilla by helicopter to the Faculty for a CT scan

Abstract

The special patient aboard the helicopter was Makokou, a 34-year-old male Western lowland gorilla from the Johannesburg Zoo who was airlifted to Onderstepoort for a CT scan of his nasal passages. The Johannesburg Zoo veterinarian and Faculty alumnus, Dr Kresen Pillay, had treated Makokou several times since December 2019 when he first developed a discharge from his nose. The recurrence of the symptoms, however, indicated that there was a more serious underlying problem. On 20 May, a team of veterinary specialists from the Faculty of the University of Pretoria, gathered at the Johannesburg Zoo to assist Dr Pillay with an extensive health examination of Makokou.