Jungle Island orangutan that survived cancer takes on new health scare head on
This story was originally published in Neighbors on Aug. 2, 2020.
When Peanut started picking at an abscess on her hand, her doctor didn’t want to take any chances.
He quickly brought the 16-year-old Jungle Island orangutan in for a full work-up, including blood tests.
The results, he said, were “shocking.”
The abscess turned out to be nothing, but what he found was concerning. Peanut, who battled non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2012 and won, now appeared to have kidneys that were not functioning properly.
“Her blood values were alarming, but her behavior was not,” said veterinarian Don Harris, who said they never would have known hadn’t it been for the thorough exam. “She had been acting quite normal other than the swelling on her hand.”
It is not uncommon for animals to hide their symptoms, because in the wild animals who show weakness become targets, Harris said.
“Animals go through great lengths to pretend that they are OK,” Harris said.
But Peanut is a fighter.
Peanut, the early years
When Peanut and her fraternal twin Pumpkin were born in 2004, they were only the third set of twins to survive birth in captivity.
At 8, Peanut, normally a feisty ape that loved to play and paint, suddenly became lethargic and withdrawn.
Her caregiver Linda Jacobs became concerned. Soon they learned that Peanut had an intestinal blockage. Tests later showed Peanut had cancer of the blood.
Doctors — who generally deal with humans — from the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center/University of Miami and UM’s Miller School of Medicine helped treat the ape by giving her a chemo-immunotherapy regimen typically used to treat human lymphoma cases.
During treatment, Peanut suffered from side effects that humans often get: nausea, fever, fatigue.
“When she began to go downhill, we didn’t know what it was at first; we just noticed behavioral changes, the sort of changes a mom notices in her kids,” Jacobs said in 2015 about the ordeal. “It’s heartbreaking to see and it’s a very helpless feeling to not know what’s wrong.”
Life after cancer
After getting the all clear, Peanut went back to her gregarious self, hanging out with her twin and the park’s other three orangutans.
She quickly became a star, welcoming other cancer survivors during visits to the park.
During a visit in 2014 with survivors from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Peanut painted while a young survivor held the canvas.
These days, with the park closed because of the coronavirus, she gets doted on by her caretakers.
“Peanut has been a long time favorite for Jungle Island, as well as an ambassador for the park,” said Rachel Pinzur, the park spokeswoman. “She is beloved by our employees as well as guests not only for the cancer she had to endure, but for her gregarious personality.”
‘Miraculous healing’
Harris said with Peanut’s history, it’s important to keep on top of all of her health concerns.
Her caretakers started to notice her not asking for treats as much and she started eating less.
She got a CT scan and blood work in June.
After getting the test results in the beginning of July, Harris said it didn’t look good.
He was hoping a change in diet would help a little. Peanut started getting foods with a higher content of water and was given her favorite — grape juice. She also got plenty of attention, which she ate up, Pinzur said.
And when he rechecked Peanut July 15 — which involves tranquilizing her — he couldn’t believe how much better she looked.
“Peanut seems to be compensating for her reduced kidney function with incredible effectiveness, and, at least for now, dialysis is not even a consideration,” he said. “Compared with other species, particularly people, in the face of illness, Great Apes like Peanut are warriors.”
This story was originally published July 30, 2020 at 12:00 AM.
