A rare monkey at Chester Zoo has had a big few months. Masaya, a critically endangered roloway monkey, gave birth just months after surgeons saved her foot in what the zoo said was a pioneering operation.
Masaya was the first ever roloway monkey to undergo surgery to remove a golf-ball-sized mass from her foot. During the procedure at the University of Liverpool’s Small Animal Teaching Hospital, the 15-year-old primate had one toe amputated.
Now she is recovering well and has given birth to a daughter, Lagertha, who was born two weeks ago. The baby is Masaya’s third daughter.
Zoe Edwards, primate keeper at Chester Zoo, said: “Masaya is a very experienced mom and she’s parenting magnificently.
“Lagertha is only a few weeks old and is very dinky, but already curious about the roloway monkey habitat and inquisitive about us.
“The fact Masaya’s foot has healed so well is a huge relief.
“If she’d had an amputation, we’d have been left with real questions about whether she could hold her offspring or continue with her normal behaviors.”
The zoo said the third successful birth is a landmark moment in protecting the survival of roloway monkeys.
Roloway monkeys at Chester Zoo come from West Africa and are listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, IUCN.
In the wild, they have been hit by hunters and illegal pet dealers, with their numbers falling by 80 percent. Once common in the rainforests of Ghana and the Ivory Coast, the species now survives only in isolated pockets of old-growth forest.
Edwards said: “Chester Zoo is one of only two places in the UK that roloway monkeys can be found, and Masaya is very important – not just to her family, but to her whole species.
“There are only a few breeding females in zoos in Europe.”
Masaya had recurring problems with her foot from the time she arrived at Chester Zoo in 2023. Vets carried out X-rays, ultrasounds and biopsies, but struggled to pin down the cause. They eventually concluded it was likely a persistent abscess, possibly linked to an old thorn injury.
When the swelling got worse in 2025, staff decided to take Masaya to Liverpool for a CT scan.
Charlotte Bentley, Veterinary Officer at the zoo’s Animal Health Centre, said: “It’s not every day you take a monkey to vet school.
“We had to bring everything she might need, from anaesthesia equipment to medications and blankets.
“Following the scan, we decided an operation was the way forward. She’s been an absolute trooper all the way through, and I’m just glad we were able to do something for her.”
Rachel Burrow, a vet and lecturer at the University of Liverpool, played a key role in the CT scan and the operation.
She said, “This was the last chance to save Masaya’s foot before amputation.
“Working with primates is completely different from my usual patients, who are typically cats and dogs, and it was a real privilege to care for such a rare animal.
“It’s great to see the surgery was a success – she’s comfortable, active and using the limb well.”
📸 credit: Talker News
