World's oldest male gorilla dies in Atlanta

The Atlanta Zoo (United States) reported the death of 'Ozzie', the oldest male gorilla in the world. He died at the age of 61 in the facilities of the animal enclosure in the state of Georgia.

Ozzie' was one of the oldest gorillas in the world. This group was made up of him and two females: 'Fatou', 64 years old, who is part of the Berlin Zoo, and 'Helen', 63 years old, who lives at the Louisville Zoo (Kentucky, United States).

The reason for the death of 'Ozzie', who began to show signs of lack of hunger last Thursday, and this week experienced weakness, swelling in the face, deficiency when drinking and eating, is unknown at this time.

The zoo team plan to arrange for a necropsy to be performed on him.

Raymond B. Ruler, president of the park, declared that this is an amazing disgrace for Zoo Atlanta. Despite knowing that this day would come, that does not prevent the great feeling of sadness that the loss of a legend generates.

Ozzie's species, the western lowland gorilla, is endangered. He came to Zoo Atlanta in 1988 and had 12 children at the facility, four of whom resided with him at the zoo. In addition, he shared space with a great-granddaughter and two great-grandchildren.

Ozzie made headlines in 2009, at 48, he became the world's first gorilla to have his blood pressure voluntarily taken, using a specially designed device to do so.

At the time he was thought to be elderly, as gorillas enter the geriatric stage at about age 40, the zoo said.

He suffered from Covid-19

"Ozzie" and 12 other gorillas at Zoo Atlanta contracted COVID-19 last year. It is presumed that he was infected by one of his caregivers who was infected, but had no symptoms.

As indicated by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), illegal hunting and infection have reduced by 60% the number of inhabitants of western gorillas in the wild areas of focal Africa, where the species began.