Orangutan Makeover Wins Kudos

Maggie, the orangutan, was an irritable, pudgy couch potato until her keepers discovered she had a hormone imbalance.

With the right treatment, this obese orangutan has become one great ape. The Early Show's resident veterinarian Dr. Debbye Turner has the details of her makeover.

A popular request at the Brookfield Zoo in Brookfield, Ill., is to see the orangutans. Among the baboons, gorillas, and spider monkeys is a rather famous orangutan.

Maggie has quite a story to tell. For all of her 43 years, she had health problems.

"She was about 220 pounds," zookeeper Carol Sodaro says. "Her skin was extremely dry. Her hair was brittle. She had problems with flatulence and constipation."

She snored, had respiratory problems and bad teeth. After many tests over several years, zoo veterinarian Tom Meehan, determined Maggie's thyroid wasn't functioning properly.

"It can malfunction both ways. It can be too active or have too little activity," Dr. Meehan explains. "In Maggie's case, she's hypothyroid. She's got too little thyroid hormone."

So Maggie started getting the right treatment, and voila! She's a new ape.

Sodaro says, "In the last year, she's made an amazing transformation. We call it our extreme orangutan makeover."

If you look at a picture of Maggie a year ago and compare it with the way she looks today, you will see the difference is amazing.

"She's lost 90 pounds," Dodaro says. "She no longer has the problem with flatulence. She's no longer constipated. She can breathe a lot better. She moves around a lot better."

Asked if she thinks Maggie has any idea of how much better she looks, Sodaro says, "I don't know. She's getting a lot of attention lately. And she's enjoying getting the attention. She may."

A fan notes Maggie may be happier now.

In fact, she probably is. Before Maggie's makeover, she showed no interest in romance. Now Maggie has a whole new attitude.

Sodaro says with a laugh, "I think she's doing a lot better in that area of her life."

After learning about Maggie's condition, visitors can't help contain their enthusiasm and cheer for Maggie.

Sodaro adds, "To see the animal lose so much weight. For her life to improve so drastically is so rewarding. I'm so happy for her and so proud that she's doing so well."

It took a long time to diagnose Maggie's condition because the technology was not available. The old testing method was not sensitive enough to pick up her hormonal deficit. When a new, improved testing method was developed, they tested her again and discovered the problem.

Dr. Meehan expects that the treatment will give Maggie a few more years. At 43, this orangutan is the third oldest in captivity.

And the treatment also works for humans. For those people who have hypothyroidism, treating with with the hormone replacement "thyroxin" can bring about dramatic results. In fact, people have been calling the Brookfield Zoo asking for the more information.

Maggie's makeover is not over yet; her keepers want her to lose 10 to 20 more pounds. And they want to teach her to hold her mouth open so she can get her teeth brushed.