Field immobilization for treatment of an unknown illness in a wild chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) at Gombe National Park, Tanzania: findings, challenges, and lessons learned

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Elizabeth Lonsdorf, Franklin & Marshall College; Dominic Travis, Lincoln Park Zoo; Richard Ssuna, Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary; Emma Lantz, Lincoln Park Zoo; Michael Wilson, University of Minnesota; Kathryn Gamble, Lincoln Park Zoo; Karen Terio, University of Illinois; Fabian Leendertz, Robert Koch Institute; Bernhard Ehlers, Robert Koch Institute; Brandon Keele, National Cancer Institute; Beatrice Hahn, University of Pennsylvania; Thomas Gillespie, Emory University; Joel Pond, Lincoln Park Zoo; Jane Raphael, Lincoln Park Zoo; Anthony Collins, Gombe Stream Research Centre
• Language: English
• Date: 2014-01-01
• Publisher: Springer Verlag (Germany)
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2013 Japan Monkey Centre and Springer Japan.
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10329-013-0372-4
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Primates
• ISSN: 0032-8332
• Volume: 55
• Issue: 1
• Start Page: 89
• End Page: 99
• Grant/Funding Information: This work was supported by grants from the US Fish and Wildlife Great Ape Conservation Fund; the Arcus Foundation; and the National Institutes of Health (R01 AI58715).; The authors thank the Jane Goodall Institute and Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) for initiating and continuing the over 50-year research tradition at Gombe, including providing support for the current health-monitoring project.
• Keywords: INFECTIOUS-DISEASES; Apes; OUTBREAK; POPULATION-DYNAMICS; EPIDEMIOLOGY; Disease; TRANSMISSION; PRIMATES; Zoology; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; Diagnostics; ADENOVIRUSES; MOUNTAIN GORILLAS; Science & Technology; Health; Intervention; HUMANS; FOREST
• Research Categories: Environmental Sciences; Biology, Zoology

Abstract

Infectious diseases are widely presumed to be one of the greatest threats to ape conservation in the wild. Human diseases are of particular concern, and the costs and benefits of human presence in protected areas with apes are regularly debated. While numerous syndromes with fatal outcomes have recently been described, precise identification of pathogens remains difficult. These diagnostic difficulties are compounded by the fact that direct veterinary intervention on wild apes is quite rare. Here we present the unique case of a wild chimpanzee at Gombe National Park that was observed with a severe illness and was subsequently examined and treated in the field. Multiple specimens were collected and tested with the aim of identifying the pathogen responsible for the illness. Our findings represent the first extensive screening of a living wild chimpanzee, yet despite our efforts, the cause and source of illness remain unknown. Nevertheless, our findings represent valuable baseline data for the ape conservation community and for comparison with other recent findings. In addition, we present the case here to demonstrate the planning required and multiple types of expertise necessary to maximize the amount of data obtained from such a rare intervention, and to provide lessons learned for future studies.