Babec’s Pacemaker
It is a bright, sunny day at the Birmingham Zoo and Babec is training. The 345-pound gorilla stands at his cage door doing what seems like an elaborate form of the hokey pokey. The incentive? Babec’s favorite treats and some whipped cream. But this is about more than just a little snack. Babec has to learn to present his chest when asked so his keeper and doctors can get a reading on his pacemaker.
“Babec’s training consists of him presenting his body parts on cue and he will present those body parts and what we’ve done is work him up to presenting his chest and his chest is what needs to be presented at the side of the cage and that’s for us to put the wand over to read his CRT {pacemaker}.”
Primate keeper Denise Monroe puts Babec through his paces most days. She says while Babec is getting better about doing what she asks training’s not been easy.
“Babec, he’s been stubborn in some ways because he is not as food driven as some animals. If you don’t offer him the reward that is special enough to him he could care less about training, he would rather ignore you.”
Scientists have known for years that gorillas in captivity are at risk of developing cardiac disease; Head Zoo Veterinarian Dr. Marie Rush says they just aren’t sure why.
“A very large number of gorillas, especially male gorillas over the age of thirty will develop cardiac disease. We’re very fortunate that in captivity we can monitor that, in the wild this probably also happens as well.”
The normal course of treatment for a Great Ape with a heart problem is medications similar to what you or I would take — they worked for a while for Babec, but not long enough. A local newspaper did a story on Babec’s plight and Rush says it wasn’t long after that she was contacted by representatives of Guidant, a company that makes pacemakers for humans. The reps suggested a pacemaker for Babec.
“I said we’ve talked about this in this business for several years but it’s not really been considered feasible in these guys because of maintenance and size and the need for special equipment. Well, that lead to a further discussion and the need to do something for him.
So, Rush says, they decided to go for it. The zoo pulled together a team of specialists from Auburn University, the University of Alabama at Birmingham and private practice to perform the procedure on the gorilla. UAB’s Dr. Neal Kay is an expert on pacemakers in humans and implanted the device in Babec.
“The anatomy of the gorilla was actually very similar to the human anatomy. As you might expect the gorilla’s muscles were bigger than a man’s but the operation went very smoothly and what was really quite gratifying was how well the gorilla did. He went from really being at the point of death to making dramatic improvement.”
But there was a hairy moment in Babec’s progress. He had to undergo the procedure a second time, just this past spring, after a tussle with his roommate Jamie, a younger silverback. During the fight the wires that control Babec’s heart’s functcion came loose. But the team was quickly reassembled and the wires replaced. He hasn’t had any problems since, all though Mammal Curator Marcia Riedmiller says the two don’t really live together anymore.
“To this day … we’ve made the decision, management-wise in husbandry to keep them separate. We do feel that Jamie probably knows Babec’s compromised.”
While the pacemaker’s doing wonders for Babec now, it could provide a wealth of information for primate researchers in the future. All readings of gorilla hearts up to this point have been made while the animals were sedated. Babec’s pacemaker will give readings of his heart while he’s awake. Those readings could help clue scientist in on why gorillas develop heart disease. But most importantly, Dr. Neal Kay says, the pacemaker will make Babec’s, and other gorillas’, lives easier.
And there may be more gorillas getting pacemakers. Rush says she’s getting calls from other zoos about the procedure and there’s the possibility the Birmingham Zoo could become a kind of cardiac care center for gorillas in the future.
“Albeit sounding like a pipedream I’m hopeful that maybe in the future that is something that we could consider and maybe that’s something that we could do.”
Until then they’ll have their hands full caring for their first patient.
How Alabama Power kept bills up and opposition out to become one of the most powerful utilities in the country
In one of the poorest states in America, the local utility earns massive profits producing dirty energy with almost no pushback from state regulators.
No more Elmo? APT could cut ties with PBS
The board that oversees Alabama Public Television is considering disaffiliating from PBS, ending a 55-year relationship.
Nonprofit erases millions in medical debt across Gulf South, says it’s ‘Band-Aid’ for real issue
Undue Medical Debt has paid off more than $299 million in medical debts in Alabama. Now, the nonprofit warns that the issue could soon get worse.
Roy Wood Jr. on his father, his son and his new book
Actor, comedian and writer Roy Wood Jr. is out with a new book -- "The Man of Many Fathers: Life Lessons Disguised as a Memoir." He writes about his experience growing up in Birmingham, losing his dad as a teenager and all the lessons he learned from various father figures throughout his career.
Auburn fires coach Hugh Freeze following 12th loss in his last 15 SEC games
The 56-year-old Freeze failed to fix Auburn’s offensive issues in three years on the Plains, scoring 24 or fewer points in 17 of his 22 league games. He also ended up on the wrong end of too many close matchups, including twice this season thanks partly to questionable calls.
In a ‘disheartening’ era, the nation’s former top mining regulator speaks out
Joe Pizarchik, who led the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement from 2009 to 2017, says Alabama’s move in the wake of a fatal 2024 home explosion increases risks to residents living atop “gassy” coal mines.
