2nd gorilla with cancer euthanized at NC Zoo
Thursday, December 17th, 2009Video
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ASHEBORO, N.C. — The North Carolina Zoo has euthanized a gorilla undergoing treatment for cancer, the second such procedure by zoo staff in as many days.
A statement from the zoo said Katie, a 36-year-old female gorilla, was euthanized shortly before noon Wednesday.
Katie had been at the N.C. Zoo since July 1989 after being transferred from the San Diego Zoo.
Chief Veterinarian Dr. Mike Loomis said Katie had been diagnosed last May with non-operable cancer in her reproductive tract. She underwent radiation therapy at the N.C. State University College of Veterinary Medicine in an effort to shrink the tumor, but an examination last week revealed that the tumor had grown.
On Tuesday, zoo veterinarians decided to euthanize Donna, a 42-year-old female gorilla, after more than 2½ years of treatments for cancer.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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The North Carolina Zoo has euthanized a gorilla undergoing treatment for cancer, the second such procedure by zoo staff in as many days.
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