Ozzie, the oldest male gorilla in the world, died yesterday in Georgia, at the age of 61: this was announced by the Atlanta Zoo, where the animal - considered a true legend - had lived since 1988, the year in which its African rainforest (the Ford African Rain Forest) was inaugurated in the facility.
CNN reports it.
Ozzie's death, the cause of which is not yet known, follows the disappearance of his habitat mate, Choomba, who had been euthanized due to deteriorating health.
The gorilla was 59, and the two had lived together for more than 15 years.
Ozzie was the only remaining member of the first generation of gorillas who arrived in Atlanta with the opening of the Ford African Rain Forest.
"For the past 24 hours he was being treated as he had symptoms including facial swelling, weakness and an inability to eat or drink," the zoo said in a statement.
Last September Ozzie contracted the coronavirus, likely from a zoo keeper, along with 12 other gorillas, and was vaccinated against the virus.
