Eldest female gorilla dies at Toronto Zoo.
Samantha, the Toronto Zoo's oldest female western lowland gorilla, was euthanized Monday after suffering two major strokes. She was 37 years old and had been at the zoo since it opened in 1974.
Photo/COURTESY
Tragedy struck the Toronto Zoo's Western Lowland gorilla troop on Monday, Aug. 16 when Samantha, the eldest female, was euthanized after suffering two serious strokes.
Born in Gabon, West Africa in 1972, Samantha arrived at the zoo when it opened in 1974. She climbed to the top of the group's social ladder as the dominant female and was favoured by Charles, the dominant male silverback. He fathered all five of her offspring.
Zoo keepers had been working closely with her since a stroke in mid-July paralyzed the right side of her body. She had been recovering, but the second stroke removed any hope for recovery.
Senior zoo staff made the difficult decision to humanely euthanize, but will remember Samantha for her quirky personality and contribution to the survival of her species.
"They are a family," said Matt Stephenson, gorilla keeper. "Samantha has been Charles' favourite for decades and she was an integral part of the family. Over the years, I have spent a lot of one-on-one time with Samantha. I will particularly miss her 'singing' at breakfast and dinner, and those purrs and rumbles she made that were like music to the soul and which always brought a smile to my face."
The remaining seven gorillas, including her son Sadiki and daughter Shalia, were given time with Samantha's body after her death to mourn.
Western Lowland gorillas are highly intelligent and are the largest primate species. They remain extremely endangered and their natural habitat in the Congo River basin and lowland rainforests continues to be threatened with habitat loss due to human development.