Zoo chimp undergoes health check-up

By Filipa Gaspar

Footage shows a chimpanzee at a zoo being given a health check-up by vets - including a heart scan.

The team at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) gave Edith, a 29-year-old female, a range of examinations, including a heart scan and a replacement contraceptive implant.

The heart ultrasound was carried out to check for signs of congenital heart disease, which chimps are susceptible to, just like humans, and Edith was given the all-clear.

Contraceptive implants are used as part of responsible population management within Edinburgh Zoo.

These implants are the same as those used in humans, explained the zoo.

After recovering from the anaesthetic Edith re-joined the 13 other chimps that live in the wildlife conservation charity’s Budongo Trail habitat.

The trail is one of the world’s most innovative chimp habitats.

It combines a large outdoor area with climbing frame, and a series of indoor pods, each with varying conditions mimicking those of their native forests.