Clinical imaging staff at the College of Medicine learned from Jan and Graham Garen, the owners of Wales Ape and Monkey Sanctuary in Abercrave, that Bili, an ex-circus Chimpanzee who is around 33 years old has been suffering with a swollen jaw for several months and was in need of a diagnosis.

Nothing is known about Bili’s early years, but he was probably caught in the wild before spending 15 years in a circus before moving to Stara Zagora Zoo in Bulgaria, where he spent another 15 years alone in a very small enclosure.

Bili came to Wales Ape and Monkey Sanctuary in September 2011 and has since proved to be a calm and friendly chimp that settled remarkably quickly with other chimpanzees but is more sociable with people. 

The veterinary surgeons that were caring for Bili had carried out various tests but lab reports showed nothing conclusive.  In spite of this everybody involved with Biliwereall worried it might be tumour, although the biopsy did not reveal anything carcinogenic. A closer look was needed and so his keepers approached Swansea University for help.

Using specialist imaging equipment, the team identified that Bili’s problem was due to a thickening of his jaw and overlying swelling of his facial muscles.  This is likely to be from a tooth abscess of his wisdom tooth, which has spread to infect the whole of his left jaw.

Following the radiological diagnosis, Bili’s veterinary surgeons and keepers can treat the infection with long term antibiotics to try to initiate a healing process.  Albeit it seems Bili is not keen on taking tablets despite the keepers’ best attempts to disguise tablets in various foods.

Dr Rhodri M Evans, of the College of Medicine said: ‘It was a unique humanitarian opportunity for our staff who were delighted to have helped Bili and we hope that he gets better and can enjoy the rest of his retirement in comfort at the sanctuary.’

Graham Garen of the sanctuary said:‘We are very grateful to the staff at Swansea University for their expertise and their compassion in unhesitatingly offering help to Bili.  Thank goodness there is a facility locally in Wales that could help Bili.’