ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Albuquerque’s municipal zoo says a 48-year-old female gorilla has died after being stricken by a bacterial infection.
ABQ BioPark Zoo officials say Huerfanita was euthanized Saturday once it became clear she wasn’t going to recover from a digestive tract infection after being treated with medications.
The 48-year-old western lowland gorilla had the same type of infection that killed a male siamang, a type of gibbon, at the zoo earlier this month.
The infection was first discovered at the zoo in early August in a male gorilla.
After the first death, zoo personnel removed gorillas, orangutans and siamangs from public display areas to be treated and monitored in private indoor spaces.
Zoo Director Stephanie Stowell said Huerfanita was beloved at the zoo and that staff were devastated by her death.
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