3-year old Monalisa, a Mona Monkey who successfully delivered a male baby after going through a first-ever cesarean section at the Kumasi Zoological Gardens has lost her baby.

Monalisa and her baby boy survived the operation, but the baby died out of neglect within a few days.

According to veterinary doctor Dr. Meyir Y. Ziekah, the c-section, like that conducted on human beings, is groundbreaking because it is the first time a Mona Monkey has been taken through such a procedure at the zoo.

Monalisa reportedly had difficulty during labour due to its very narrow birth canal, this informed the doctors to perform a c-section.

“She had been in labour for three days, and we had been monitoring it. On the first day, we realized that the birth canal was quite small and the infant had a big head that couldn’t pass through the birth canal. Also, the animal was getting weak, and so we took the decision," he said

Dr. Meyir Y. Ziekah, who doubles as manager of the Kumasi Zoological Gardens, said he and his team used an hour and 20 minutes to perform the surgery.

He explained that the surgery was complex, explaining the zoo doesn’t have “the necessary equipment and tools.”

However, despite the successful delivery, the baby monkey died.

Dr. Meyir Y. Ziekah explained that the incident was as a result of the mona monkey neglecting her baby.

"When she recovered from the anaesthesia, she was a bit aggressive toward the infant and separated from her.

“Later on, she accepted the infant but in the night she became aggressive again and later rejected her completely and unfortunately, we lost him," the doctor explained.

Meanwhile, the mother monkey is still recuperating and will be released to join the other primates on the field when fully fit.