{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,26]],"date-time":"2025-12-26T11:19:31Z","timestamp":1766747971784,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":49,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,25]],"date-time":"2025-08-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1756080000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Veterinary Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) rescued from the illegal wildlife trade often suffer from chronic, traumatic injuries that require specialized and prolonged medical treatment in wildlife rehabilitation centers. We present the case report of a two-year-old male chimpanzee admitted at the Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center in the Republic of Congo with a chronic periorbital abscess, likely caused by a machete wound sustained during the poaching of his mother. Despite receiving extended antimicrobial therapy, his condition was never fully controlled and progressed to a chronic orbital infection, causing him discomfort and producing chronic purulent discharge. Enucleation was performed under general anesthesia using ketamine and medetomidine, with surgical approach adapted to the distinctive orbital anatomy of chimpanzees. During the procedure, ligation of the optic nerve and ophthalmic vessels was required due to the confined orbital apex and extensive vascularization, ensuring adequate haemostasias and procedural safety. The chimpanzee made an uneventful postoperative recovery, resuming normal feeding and social behavior within 48 h, with complete wound healing occurring within two weeks. This case report highlights the importance of prompt surgical intervention when conservative medical management fails to resolve refractory ocular infections in chimpanzees. It also emphasizes the importance of specific anesthetic protocols, refined surgical techniques and tailored postoperative care in wildlife rehabilitation centers. Documenting and sharing detailed case reports such as this contributes to the limited veterinary literature on great ape surgery and supports evidence-based clinical decision-making to improve the welfare and treatment outcomes of rescued chimpanzees.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/vetsci12090805","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,26]],"date-time":"2025-08-26T06:26:31Z","timestamp":1756189591000},"page":"805","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Enucleation Due to Ocular Abscess in a Captive Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes): A Case Report from the Republic of Congo"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0736-8791","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Manuel","family":"Fuertes-Recuero","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, Avda. Puerta de Hierro s\/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain"},{"name":"Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Complutense University of Madrid, Avda. Puerta de Hierro s\/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jos\u00e9 L.","family":"L\u00f3pez-Hern\u00e1ndez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Complutense University of Madrid, Avda. Puerta de Hierro s\/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Alejandra","family":"Ram\u00edrez-Lago","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Jane Goodall Institute Congo, Pointe-Noire, Congo"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5238-3590","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Luna","family":"Guti\u00e9rrez-Cepeda","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, College of Veterinary Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, Avda. Puerta de Hierro s\/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9491-5572","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Juan A.","family":"De Pablo-Moreno","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Genetics, Physiology and Microbiology, School of Biological Sciences, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain"},{"name":"Department of Veterinary Sciences, School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, 28670 Villaviciosa de Od\u00f3n, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0198-194X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Pablo","family":"Mor\u00f3n-Elorza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Complutense University of Madrid, Avda. Puerta de Hierro s\/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain"},{"name":"Fundaci\u00f3n Oceanogr\u00e1fic, Oceanogr\u00e0fic of Valencia, C\/d\u2019Eduardo Primo Y\u00fafera, 1, Quatre Carreres, 46013 Valencia, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4935-3013","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Luis","family":"Revuelta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, Avda. Puerta de Hierro s\/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Rebeca","family":"Atencia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Jane Goodall Institute Congo, Pointe-Noire, Congo"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,25]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Muehlenbein, M.P. (2015). Basics in Human Evolution, Elsevier. 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