World's oldest male gorilla dies in US

In the wild, gorillas only live to be around 40 years old. Ozzie, who lived at Zoo Atlanta in the US state of Georgia, has died at the proud age of 61.

Atlanta – The world’s oldest male gorilla is dead: The great ape named Ozzie died at the age of 61, according to the Atlanta Zoo in the US state of Georgia.

“Our hearts are broken because a legend has passed away,” the zoo tweeted. The western lowland gorilla was found lifeless by his keepers. The cause of death is not yet known. However, he had already suffered from loss of appetite and swelling on his face in the past few days. Ozzie was the third oldest gorilla in the world.

In the wild, gorillas usually only live around 40 years, in zoos sometimes 50 years. The oldest female gorilla in the world lives in the Berlin Zoo: Fatou turned 64 in April.

Ozzie survived corona infection

Last year, a group of gorillas at Zoo Atlanta, including Ozzie, tested positive for Covid-19. It was officially said that he only showed mild symptoms during his infection, as reported by “USA Today”. In 2009, Ozzie made zoo history when he became the world’s first gorilla to take a blood pressure test. Zoo director Raymond King described Ozzie’s death as a devastating loss. “While we knew this moment would come one day, that inevitability doesn’t change the deep sadness we feel at the loss of a legend.”

Western lowland gorillas are critically endangered due to poaching and habitat loss. Over a 25-year period, their numbers have declined by 60 percent, according to the zoo, and by as much as 90 percent in some parts of their West African range.

Ozzie leaves behind children, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren living at Zoo Atlanta and other zoos in the United States and Canada. Just a few weeks ago, a 59-year-old gorilla had to be euthanized at the zoo. dpa