Despite severe arthritis, KJ is hopping again at the Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden in Evansville, Indiana.
The 17-year-old male colobus monkey has newfound mobility after receiving a stem cell treatment earlier this year from Dr. Val Johnson, a veterinarian and postdoctoral fellow at Colorado State University.
KJ is the first non-human primate treated with stem cells by CSU veterinarians. Based on a review of published research, Johnson said he is also the first non-human primate in the world to be treated therapeutically with stem cells for a naturally occurring disease.
In late 2019, KJ started to have trouble with his hind legs and was diagnosed with age-related spinal arthritis. Following a CT scan, his medical team learned that the arthritis was quite severe and likely affected some nerves and discs along his spine.
Enter Johnson, who has safely treated a giraffe, elephants, mountain lion, tiger, wolf, coyote and dogs with stem cells over the past eight years.
Dr. Carrie Ullmer, staff veterinarian at the Mesker Park Zoo, had heard about Johnson’s research and success with stem cell treatments.
“Dr. Ullmer reached out to me about KJ because they had tried just about everything, including the use of medications to treat pain and inflammation,” Johnson said. “Nothing had worked. He was very sore and he was not doing normal activities that monkeys do.”