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Marlon, a 26-year-old chimpanzee in Dublin Zoo, is the alpha male in a troop of five females and two males. His zookeepers had raised concern when Marlon began to distance himself from group activities, ate alone and challenged troop members when approached. The hierarchy system among chimpanzees is complex and if an alpha male displays signs of weakness, another male can seize this opportunity to assert his power for the title. It was clear the issue required early attention for Marlon’s welfare and the troop’s politics.

Not being able to conduct a thorough conscious clinical examination makes diagnosing zoo animals difficult. Quite often, the only information at the vet’s disposal is the animal’s behaviour and observable symptoms. With that in mind, zookeepers closely observed Marlon to discern any gross evidence of pathology and subsequently, they noticed a swelling beneath his right eye which would be consistent with a tooth root abscess. At this point, Dr Emma Flynn, one of Dublin Zoo’s resident vets, and her team knew they had reason to intervene and began to make suitable arrangements to treat Marlon.

Organising any surgical procedure for a zoo patient requires coordination and planning. Anaesthesia was provided by University College Dublin who have worked closely with Dublin Zoo for all their medical procedures. Dental radiographs and equipment were provided by iM3 Dental who specialise in veterinary dentistry equipment. Dr Nora Schwitzer, the veterinary surgeon who led the procedure, was joined by human dentist, Dr Thomas Linehan of Seapoint Clinic. As an evolutionary cousin of humans, a chimp’s dentition has a closer resemblance to our own teeth than to those of cats or dogs, so Dr Linehan’s insight helped identify techniques and explain observations not normally used or seen in general veterinary practice.

For a detailed analysis of Marlon's treatment, check out Veterinary Ireland Journal's blogpost.