Endangered monkey gives birth after groundbreaking Chester Zoo and University of Liverpool operation

The operation, which had never previously been documented in roloway monkeys, required the team to adapt existing techniques to remove a mass the size of a golf ball from Masaya's foot.

With no established precedent for such a procedure on this species, the collaborative effort between the zoo's veterinary staff and university surgeons proved successful in preserving the endangered primate's mobility and quality of life.

Surgeons managed to preserve all but one of Masaya's toes during the intricate procedure.

Zoe Edwards, primate keeper at Chester Zoo, said: "Masaya is a very experienced mum and she's parenting magnificently.

"Lagertha is only a few weeks old and is very dinky but already curious about the roloway monkey habitat and inquisitive about us".

The successful healing of Masaya's foot has brought considerable relief to her keepers, who had faced uncertainty about her future capabilities as a mother.

"The fact Masaya's foot has healed so well is a huge relief. If she'd had an amputation, we'd have been left with real questions about whether she could hold her offspring or continue with her normal behaviours," Ms Edwards added.

The newborn, whose name pays tribute to a Viking queen, is now just over four weeks old and roughly the size of a tennis ball.

Masaya has become a mother for the third time, having experienced recurring foot problems since her arrival at Chester in 2023, with veterinarians suspecting an old thorn injury caused the abscess.

When the swelling in Masaya's foot deteriorated last year, she was transported to the University of Liverpool Small Animal Teaching Hospital for a CT scan.

Charlotte Bentley, veterinary officer at the zoo's animal health centre, said: "It's not every day you take a monkey to vet school.

"We had to bring everything she might need, from anaesthesia equipment to medications and blankets.

"Following the scan, we decided an operation was the way forward. She's been an absolute trooper all the way through and I'm just glad we were able to do something for her".

Rachel Burrow, vet and lecturer at the University of Liverpool, added: "Working with primates is completely different from my usual patients, who are typically cats and dogs, and it was a real privilege to care for such a rare animal.

"It's great to see the surgery was a success she's comfortable, active and using the limb well".

Roloway monkeys rank among the world's most threatened primates, with the International Union for Conservation of Nature estimating fewer than 2,000 individuals survive in their native habitats across Ghana and the Ivory Coast, where they contend with habitat destruction and illegal hunting.

Chester Zoo represents one of just two facilities in the United Kingdom where these rare primates can be observed, with only a handful of breeding females existing across European collections.

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