A 44-year-old female Western lowland gorilla at Utah’s Hogle Zoo, known affectionately as Jo Ray K, has died.
In Utah, she was the matriarch of a troop of three, which included her daughter Jabali and granddaughter Georgia. Before she moved to Utah from the Denver Zoo in 2011, she had six other offspring.
According to a news release from the zoo, the gorilla had developed a number of chronic conditions, including dental disease, decreased mobility, weakness and signs of confusion. Her conditions were “monitored daily” and after Dr. Erika Crook, the zoo’s director of animal health, conferred with staff and management after the gorilla’s “condition had declined significantly” the decision was made to euthanize her. She died Monday.
Crook said that because of the variety of health conditions the gorilla faced, the zoo made modifications to the great ape habitat to help her navigate better. They also offered the gorilla several daily medications, including one to slow the signs of dementia.
Western lowland gorillas typically have a life space of 35 years, according to National Geographic. The World Wildlife Fund notes that the species is the “most numerous and widespread of all gorilla subspecies.” They are found in Africa, particularly around Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Though exact population numbers aren’t known, poaching and disease has contributed to declining populations and the species is categorized as “critically endangered.” The deadly Ebola virus has killed a significant number of the population in recent years.
The care team will remember the gorilla for her “spunky and sassy” personality, the zoo said in its news release. A full necropsy will be performed, the zoo said, and even posthumously, Jo Ray K will help contribute to science — as part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Great Ape Neuroscience Project, which studies brain-related disorders in great apes.
Erin Jones, the zoo’s director of animal care, said, “Jo Ray K was truly an ambassador for her species in the wild. She will always be recognized, honored and remembered as Queen Jo.”
