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A 30-year-old free-ranging female mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) developed a perioral mass that was surgically debulked and diagnosed as malignant melanoma. After tumor recurrence, a canine melanoma vaccine was administered. However, the gorilla died shortly thereafter, and metastases to lymph nodes, lung, liver, and kidney were found post-mortem.

On May 14, 2013, a wild, human-habituated, juvenile female mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda was observed utilizing a tool to acquire food. The young gorilla watched an adult male use his hand to collect ants from a hole in the ground, and then quickly withdrew his hand and move away from the hole, shaking his arm to presumably remove biting ants. The juvenile female engaged in similar behavior, withdrawing her hand covered in ants, and shaking her arm vigorously. She then selected a piece of wood approximately 20 cm long and 2 cm wide at one end, 1 cm wide at the other, and proceeded to insert the stick into the hole, withdraw the stick, and then lick ants off of the stick. In contrast to the sizeable body of literature on tool use in wild chimpanzees, this is the first report of tool use for food acquisition by a wild gorilla. Am. J. Primatol. 77:353–357, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Objective— To report successful femoral fracture repair in a polar bear. Study Design— Case report. Animals— Female polar bear (Ursus maritimus) 5 years and ∼250 kg. Methods— A closed, complete, comminuted fracture of the distal midshaft femur was successfully reduced and stabilized using a compression plating technique with 2 specialized human femur plates offering axial, rotational, and bending support, and allowing the bone to share loads with the implant. Postoperative radiographs were obtained at 11.5 weeks, 11 months, and 24 months. Results— Bone healing characterized by marked periosteal reaction was evident at 11 months with extensive remodeling evident at 24 months. No complications were noted. Conclusions— Distal mid shaft femoral fracture was reduced, stabilized, and healed in an adult polar bear with a locking plate technique using 2 plates. Clinical Relevance— Previously, femoral fractures in polar bears were considered irreparable. Use of 2 plates applied with a locking plate technique can result in successful fracture repair despite large body weight and inability to restrict postoperative activity.

Lifetime semen production data provide valuable insight into a species’ natural history and biology as well as information about the potential fertility of males at various life stages. An understanding of the ages of sexual maturity, peak sperm production, and gonadal senescence will contribute to the design of species management plans for captive, free-ranging, and reintroduced populations of exotic animals. To describe these life stages in the cheetah, semen was collected biweekly for 13 years from a solitary male beginning at 3 years of age. The 338 ejaculates were obtained noninvasively by artificial vagina. Ejaculate volume and sperm motility score, concentration, and normal morphology were recorded. A sperm quality index incorporating all five semen parameters was calculated to facilitate ejaculate comparisons. Polynomial regression analysis revealed a significant effect of age on volume, which increased throughout the animal’s lifetime except for a reduction between ages 10 and 12. Concentration was also significantly affected by age and increased from the age of 3 to the age of 10, then decreased. The sperm quality index revealed a significant effect of age as it increased from age 3 to age 8, then declined as the male grew older. The cheetah did not reach peak semen production until age 8 and continued to produce good quality semen for several more years. These data were somewhat unexpected, given the average cheetah life expectancy of approximately 7 years. Zoo Biol 20:359–366, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.