Zoo Atlanta announces that Ozzie, oldest living male gorilla, has died

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Zoo Atlanta announces that Ozzie, oldest living male gorilla, has died

NEWS

By Bo Emerson, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
11 hours ago

The elder statesman had been suffering from heart disease and arthritis

Ozzie, at 61 the oldest living male gorilla and the third-oldest gorilla in the world in captivity, has died, his caregivers at Zoo Atlanta announced Tuesday afternoon. ... The cause of death was not known, though Ozzie had shown decreased appetite for the past five days and the inability to eat or drink during the last 24 hours. His care team found him dead on Tuesday.

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A necropsy, or the non-human equivalent of an autopsy, will be performed through the Zoo’s partnership with the University of Georgia’s College of Veterinary Medicine, and should provide the teams with more information on Ozzie’s condition.

“This is a devastating loss for Zoo Atlanta,” said Raymond B. King, president and CEO, in a statement. “While we knew this time would come someday, that inevitability does nothing to stem the deep sadness we feel at losing a legend,”

Most of the western lowland gorillas at Zoo Atlanta were unwittingly exposed to COVID-19 this fall by a keeper with no symptoms. The animals only experienced mild forms of the disease. Zoo spokesperson Rachel Davis said Ozzie and the others had recovered from those symptoms.

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[hlthe2b]

1. Tears for Ozzie...

It is hard enough to keep humans on meds for their heart disease, so I know what a challenge it would have been for Ozzie. What a loss.

for all of our primate relatives in danger and endangered worldwide