Jungle Friends Primate Sanctuary

Ebi is back on his feet!

It’s hard to convince a monkey to keep still and allow time for an injury to heal. That was one big worry in deciding how to treat Ebi’s dislocated hip. Initial efforts to replace the leg were not successful because the scar tissue that quickly forms in the joint prevented the leg bone from being seated properly. It would not stay in place. After considering the other, more drastic options – surgery or amputation – we decided to first try the least invasive approach. Dr. Schirmer would break up the scar tissue – literally crushing it – enough to allow the ball of the femur to be replaced in the hip socket. Then the challenge would be to immobilize the leg for about a week, to allow the tissue to grow back sufficiently to keep the hip in the joint. Kari and Lee took Ebi to the vet on March 30th, and Dr. Schirmer worked and worked at getting Ebi's leg back into the hip socket. It kept popping out, but in the end it stayed! An x-ray showed that it was nearly back in place. Now the challenge was to keep it there.

The first concern was keeping the leg in place as Ebi came out of anesthesia. As Ebi woke and became more and more active, Lee held him close to her heart to restrain his thrashing while he gnawed on her ear. It wasn’t pretty but it worked!

Back in his squeeze cage, Ebi enjoyed a few grapes and waited to see what would happen next: that was another car trip back to the Jungle Friends onsite clinic, which would be his home for the next week.

All in all, Ebi did quite well during his “hospital stay.” Our compassionate carestaff were anxious to cater to his every need. Ebi was served all of his favorite foods and provided with videos to watch. Caregivers checked on him frequently and offered special treats throughout the day. Before the week ended, Ebi’s natural exuberance was returning. We had to increase his medication to curb his enthusiasm and allow a few more days of quiet time for healing. Ebi seemed to enjoy all of the attention he received during his confinement, but in the end, he just wanted to be back with his monkey friend Mickey! That day came at last. Ebi was so excited to be out of the little cage and back in his spacious outdoor habitat. He raced around happily, and although he jumped more than we would have liked, it appeared that no harm was done. His leg wasn't dragging and we were happy about that! Ebi and Mickey were so happy to be back together! They had quite a grooming session and then laid down side-by-side for a nice mid-day nap.

On his first day out, Ebi’s leg was a bit wobbly, but it seemed better on day two and by the third day, no wobble could be detected! The boys are really making up for lost playtime!