World’s oldest male gorilla Ozzie dies aged 61
(Picture: HANDOUT)The world’s oldest male gorilla Ozzie has died aged 61.
He was the last surviving gorilla from the original group arriving at Zoo Atlanta for the opening of its Ford African Rain Forest in 1988.
The heartbroken zoo care team found the western lowland silverback dead at Zoo Atlanta in Georgia, US on Tuesday.
He was being treated for facial swelling, weakness and the inability to eat or drink in the 24 hours before his death, having lost his appetite last week, the zoo said.
His cause of death remains unknown.
Zoo Atlanta paid tribute to the late gorilla as a “legend” in a moving message.
The zoo’s president and chief executive Raymond B King said: “This is a devastating loss for Zoo Atlanta. While we knew this time would come someday, that inevitability does nothing to stem the deep sadness we feel at losing a legend.
“Ozzie’s life’s contributions are indelible, in the generations of individuals he leaves behind in the gorilla population and in the world’s body of knowledge in the care of his species.
“Our thoughts are with his care team, who have lost a part of their lives and a part of their hearts.”
The University of Georgia’s veterinary college are conducting a post-mortem.
He was the third oldest gorilla in the world.
Across the globe, Fatou is the oldest gorilla aged 64 at the Berlin Zoo in Germany and Helen is the second oldest gorilla aged 63 at Louisville Zoo in Kentucky.
Ozzie will go down in zoological history; he was the first gorilla in the world to give a voluntary blood pressure reading at the age of 48 in 2009.
Last year, Ozzie was struck down with Covid.
He was one of 13 gorillas at Zoo Atlanta who tested positive for Covid at the time.
