Three of the Chattanooga Zoo’s seven chimpanzees received heart checkup this week as part of their yearly physical exam.
Heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in chimpanzees in captivity, according to a news release from Memorial Hospital, so Scottie, Shirley and Katrina each had an echocardiogram. The test provides images of the heart valves and closeup views of cardiac structures from several angles.
Dr. William Warren, a cardiologist at the Chattanooga Heart Institute at Memorial Hospital, was on hand to read the images and determine the health of each chimpanzee’s heart. He said a chimpanzee’s heart is very similar to a human heart.
“We are happy to report all three chimpanzees are in good heart health,” the release states.
This is the seventh year Chattanooga Zoo has partnered with the Chattanooga Heart Institute for this procedure.