Sally The Long-Lived Orangutan Dead At 48
DENVER - Sally, an orangutan at the Denver Zoo, died on Sunday. She was 48 years old.
CBS Denver reports that Sally, a Sumatran orangutan, lived at the Denver Zoo for nearly 20 years.
She had a history of fibroid growths in her abdomen that caused her great discomfort and constipation. Zoo keepers had watched a significant decline in her condition in the past few weeks. Since they were unable to treat her further, the zoo's animal care and veterinary teams decided to euthanize her on Sunday.
The median life span of a Sumatran orangutans in zoos is 28.2 years.
"Sally was the matriarch of our great apes and was a cherished member of our Zoo family for two decades," says Denver Zoo Vice President for Animal Care Hollie Colahan in a statement. "Unfortunately, she had a condition that was causing her pain that she just couldn't heal from and we never want an animal to suffer. She will be missed terribly."
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/sally-the-48-year-old-orangutan-at-denver-zoo-has-died/
She had a history of fibroid growths in her abdomen that caused her great discomfort and constipation. Zoo keepers had watched a significant decline in her condition in the past few weeks. Since they were unable to treat her further, the zoo's animal care and veterinary teams decided to euthanize her on Sunday.
The median life span of a Sumatran orangutans in zoos is 28.2 years.
"Sally was the matriarch of our great apes and was a cherished member of our Zoo family for two decades," says Denver Zoo Vice President for Animal Care Hollie Colahan in a statement. "Unfortunately, she had a condition that was causing her pain that she just couldn't heal from and we never want an animal to suffer. She will be missed terribly."
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/sally-the-48-year-old-orangutan-at-denver-zoo-has-died/