An endangered monkey was about to have its paw amputated - but after the operation it gave birth to a cub

15-year-old Masaya from Chester Zoo (UK) had long suffered from a painful mass on her paw.

When the tumour grew to the size of a golf ball, veterinarians made a decision: either amputation or risky surgery.

Similar surgeries had never been performed on this species before.

Surgeons still tried to save the paw - and were able to remove the affected tissue, losing only one toe.

After recovery, Masaya returned to normal life.

And soon the unexpected happened:

she gave birth to a cub, a female named Lagertha.

Why it matters

Roloway monkeys are one of the rarest of all primates:

• there are fewer than 2,000 left in the wild
• zoos have only a handful of breeding females

If the paw had been amputated, Masaya might not have been able to:

• not be able to hold her calf
• lose the ability to move normally
• not be able to breed

In fact, the surgery gave her a chance to continue the species.

Background

The operation was carried out by specialists at Chester Zoo in conjunction with the University of Liverpool.

The story is important for rare species breeding programmes where every individual counts.