A chimpanzee cataract surgery has restored sight to a 54-year-old who had gone completely blind, and the months of work that made it possible went into teaching him to hold his own eyes open.
Pierre lives at Chimp Haven, the world’s largest chimpanzee sanctuary, and cataracts had taken his sight completely by the time the veterinary team decided to operate.
The surgery was carried out by Kenneth Pierce, a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist, and it was the first cataract procedure performed on a resident there.
The harder part came before any of that, and the team spent months on positive reinforcement training, teaching Pierre to present his eyes voluntarily so that every examination and every piece of care could be done without compromising his comfort.
Once the cataracts were out, the change came faster than the schedule allowed for.
What the surgery gave back was functional sight rather than perfect vision, and it was enough for him to start picking up the people, the other chimpanzees and the routines he already knew.
Within hours of surgery, Pierre was responding visually to a caregiver he has known for years.
He rejoined his social group earlier than the team had planned for.
Within days, he was back with Jill, one of his closest chimpanzee companions.
