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The (Bonobo) Doctor Is In

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bonoboconservation.com
The Milwaukee County Zoo maintains one of the largest groups of captive bonobos in North America, and its outdoor play area is the first of its kind at a public zoological institution.

For our Project Milwaukee: Innovation - How Do We Compete?series, the scientific community has been highlighted for its work in both research and practice.

Surgeon James Sanger is particularly noteworthy for his work as a plastic surgeon and a hand surgeon. But his patients are noteworthy, too.

The Milwaukee County Zoo holds the world's largest group of captive bonobos, and sometimes they break each others fingers. Doctor Sanger is the one who fixes the primate's hands as the surgeon on-call for the zoo's bonobo population - a job he does pro bono.

The Milwaukee doctor's work is the subject of afeature in the March issue of Milwaukee Magazine.  (Sanger himself is currently out of the country, but Lake Effect will feature an interview with him in the weeks to come.)

Milwaukee Magazine managing editor Dan Simmons co-wrote the feature on Doctor James Sanger, and he explains how he first heard about Dr. Sanger's unusual patients:

Bonnie North
Bonnie joined WUWM in March 2006 as the Arts Producer of the locally produced weekday magazine program Lake Effect.