Zoo Atlanta has announced the death of one of its founding members of its great ape population: 52-year-old Biji the Sumatran orangutan.
Representatives with the zoo confirmed that Biji was euthanized on August 1.
Biji reportedly arrived at Zoo Atlanta in 1988 as part of an original group of orangutans from Emory University’s Yerkes National Primate Research Center.
She had been treated for nine years for kidney disease, Zoo Atlanta says, adding that employees made the heartbreaking decision to euthanize Biji because of poor progress.
Biji’s treatments over the years helped advance the zoo’s healthcare, a spokesperson explains, calling her an inspiration to decades of visitors. “Biji’s early diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of kidney disease greatly increased our knowledge of this condition in orangutans, and what we learned has helped other orangutans in human care throughout the country,” Sam Rivera, DVM, Vice President of Animal Health, said in a statement.
Zoo representatives said Biji’s age was “exceptional for orangutans, which are considered geriatric after the age of about 40, and is a testament to the state-of-the-art healthcare she received in her years at the Zoo – care that she herself helped to advance.”
Jennifer Mickelberg, PhD, Vice President of Collections and Conservation, says Biji was the “ultimate incarnation of the intellect, resourcefulness, and adaptability of orangutans.”
Mickelberg adds that beneath that surface, “she was a huge personality with a goofy side she only showed to those who knew her best.
“Biji has been an inspiration to decades of Zoo visitors, and it has been our privilege and honor to have served as her home for more than 30 years. She has helped all of us, and our visitors, better understand the incredible nature of these amazing apes.”
Zoo Atlanta reportedly houses one of North America’s largest populations of orangutans, with nine individuals representing both Sumatran and Bornean orangutans.