Our veterinary team has done a blood extraction to a capuchin monkey (Cebus apella) to check its coagulation index and determine if it suffers from a genetic disease. The zookeepers observed a few days ago that the specimen, named Golum, had some limp when walking so he couldn´t move normally in the installation. This behaviour has made the carers suspect that the animal may have inherited the same disease that his father, who died unexpectedly a few months ago.
The father, named Simón, also started limping and finally stopped walking. At first, we thought that this ailment could be caused by a possible paralysis or some marrow problem, but after his death, in the autopsy a disease was detected that causes problems in the coagulation of the blood. When they saw that Golum, one of his children, was experiencing a similar limp, they carried out a test to determine if the problem has a hereditary origin.
With this action, we intend to apply a preventive treatment to Golum, as well as to the rest of his brothers, to avoid having any health problems derived from this genetic inheritance. Disease prevention actions are essential to improve the degree of animal welfare and give them the appropriate treatment as soon as possible.
Capuchin monkeys are very sociable primates that live in herds. They often use rocks and stones to open nuts and are able to teach this behaviour through the use of instruments to feed their descendants. This species has an average size that usually does not exceed four kilos of weight. At present, Terra Natura has 13 specimens of this species.
The conservation of this species is essential to preserve plant biodiversity because it favours the dispersal of seeds that they ingest in the territories where they live. Currently, Capuchin monkeys are threatened due to deforestation of tropical forests and illegal trade. The species is included in the CITES catalogue, an international institution that is responsible for regulating the circulation of threatened species.