Beloved Zurich Zoo gorilla is euthanized after years of declining health
The Zurich Zoo's beloved gorilla of more than 40 years has been put down after a long struggle with declining health, a zoo official in the Swiss city said Wednesday.
N'Gola was 47 and one of the oldest male gorillas in European zoos, said Zurich Zoo director Severin Dressen.
He was a Western lowland gorilla — a subspecies of the great apes found in Africa and listed as critically endangered — and because of his mature age he was a silverback, after the gray hair on his back.
N'Gola had suffered a host of health ailments, including arthritis, a heart condition and a tapeworm infection. He had been on painkillers for several years, eating less, and losing weight and muscle mass.
'It's a hard decision to euthanize a silverback,' Dressen said.
"We've seen a crash in the wild over the span of three generations of 80% of the population," Dressen said about the decline of gorillas in the wild. Zoos can be helpful for research and public education about species protection, he added.
N'Gola was born in captivity and fathered 34 children. He was known for his sensitive side, taking 'care of his harem, his group of females,' Dressen said.
In 2012, the female Nache in his harem suffered a burst appendix during advanced pregnancy, and both she and the unborn baby gorilla died, according to the Swiss newspaper Neue Zuricher Zeitung.
N'Gola spent weeks whimpering through the zoo enclosure looking for her, the report said.
Dressen also recalled a time when N'Gola looked after a baby gorilla in the group. "The mother wasn't there, and he kind of — which is not a typical silverback behavior — took care of that baby.'
As for humans, N'Gola mostly ignored "other bipedal species on the other side of the glass' of his enclosure, Dressen said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Courier
a day ago
- The Courier
Glenrothes dad's paternity leave campaign after son's traumatic birth
A Glenrothes dad is campaigning for better UK paternity leave following the premature birth of his son. Ryan Connolly and wife Claire welcomed baby Lewis in April last year. He was almost four weeks early and there were complications which saw Claire need emergency surgery. She remained in hospital for several days. Yet, despite the seriousness of the situation, Ryan was only entitled to two weeks leave from his job as an IT project co-ordinator. The 30-year-old said: 'In one of the most important and vulnerable moments of our lives, I don't think it's too much to ask that families are given the time and support to actually be a family.' According to MPs, the UK's paternity leave system is among the worst in the developed world. However, Ryan is supporting the Dad Shift campaign, which aims to change that. He has now spoken of Lewis's traumatic birth, and the days following, as part of that campaign. Ryan said: 'Lewis arrived unexpectedly early—at 36 weeks and 3 days. 'He was born a petite, albeit healthy, 5lb 10oz with a big cry and passed all his checks. 'But Claire's placenta didn't detach as it should have. 'After several failed attempts to remove it, she had to undergo emergency surgery. 'I was left, quite literally, holding the baby while she was taken to theatre. 'Although the operation went well, Claire suffered significant blood loss and needed a transfusion. 'She later had to have a second procedure before the bleeding was finally brought under control.' The new dad added: 'I'll never forget sitting there holding our day-old son, watching monitors as his mum's blood pressure dropped and her skin turned grey from blood loss.' Claire, 31, spent three full days in hospital with Ryan and Lewis at her side. Meanwhile, at night Ryan would go home and try to ready the house for their new baby. 'The whole time, I was painfully aware I was already on day three of my two-week paternity leave,' the Glenrothes dad said. 'We hadn't even made it home yet to adjust, to heal, to simply be together – and I can't help but think how many other dads are in the same position?' Eight European countries, including France, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands, offer a minimum of four weeks paternity leave. And Glenrothes and Mid Fife MP Richard Baker has joined forces with Ryan and other local dads to push for improvement. The Labour MP said: 'Dads shouldn't have to choose between being present for their newborn and keeping their household afloat. 'Even taking those two weeks off comes at a financial cost.' According to a recent survey by Dad Shift, 70% of 1,911 respondents said they did not feel psychologically ready to return to work when they did. An additional survey saw 86% of 1,565 respondents say current paternity leave limitations also negatively affected their partner's health and wellbeing. The UK Government says it is carrying out a review to see how it can best support working families.
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Daily Mirror
NHS chief gives verdict on funding settlement outlined in spending review
New NHS England boss Sir Jim Mackey insists the NHS has done "really well" in the spending review - despite a lower rate of increase than under the Tories in 2023 The new boss of the NHS has said the health service has done 'really well' out of the spending review - despite getting a worse funding settlement than under the Tories. Sir Jim Mackey gave his first major speech at the annual NHS Confed Expo conference in Manchester moments before Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed the health service will get a major funding squeeze. The Chancellor's spending review will mean a 3% annual budget rise, which is lower than the average 3.6% increases the NHS has received since its founding. It is also lower than the 3.3% rise seen in 2023 under the previous Conservative governments. But Sir Jim told health leaders: "The NHS has done really well relative to other parts of the public service but we all know it's never enough because of the scale of advancement, all the ambition, all things we want to do, the day-to-day cost pressures we're trying to get on top of, etc. "We're always going to be in a world where we want more money, but I think everyone's starting to accept and understand that we've got what the country can afford to give us. We really need to get better value for that money - it is broadly the equivalent of the GDP of Portugal, so it's a huge amount of money by any standards. "It's a huge amount - (the) Government has done us a really good turn compared to other parts of the public service. But it's not going to allow us all to just take our feet off the pedal and just run loose and do what we want to do in this next period, we have still got an awful lot of difficult things to do." Sir Jim succeeded previous chief executive Amanda Pritchard as the Government took direct control of NHS England, which had previously been operationally independent. Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered her Spending Review, setting out budgets for government departments. She said she has made "tough decisions" but is rejecting "austerity". Healthcare spending generally increases to keep pace with a growing and aging population. The UK spends less on healthcare than most other European countries. The 3% rise will add up to about £30 billion a year extra by the end of the parliament. It comes as the NHS is likely to have to find the cash for above-inflation pay rises for staff and a large chunk of a £1 billion-a-year rise in drug prices ministers have promised to the pharmaceutical industry. Sir Jim acknowledged it will be a struggle for the NHS to improve 'delayed discharges' where hospitals are full of frail but otherwise well people because there is no social care places for them. He added: "Social care in local authorities won't do brilliantly in the spending review… so we will be left with what we can do as much as we can within our gift." It comes as internal Government modelling suggests that without more NHS funding Sir Keir Starmer 's government will miss a key pledge to treat 92% of patients requiring routine care within 18 weeks. The NHS constitutional standard has not been met for a decade. Sally Gainsbury, of the Nuffield Trust think tank, told the Times that "an extra 2.8 per cent in real terms will not fully cover the new demands the health service can expect each year, let alone eliminate previous problems like the waiting list backlog".
Edinburgh Reporter
2 days ago
- Edinburgh Reporter
Polar bear remains donated to National Museum of Scotland
The body of the UK's oldest polar bear has been donated to the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh for scientific research. Polar bear Victoria died last month aged 28, at her home at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland's (RZSS) Highland Wildlife Park near Aviemore. The wildlife conservation charity's experts carried out an on-site post mortem, which established that the 400kg bear had 'advanced arthritis in her limbs and spine'. Victoria's blood, tissue, ovaries, serum and liver have now been preserved for research by RZSS and other organisations, while her body was transported to Edinburgh for National Museums Scotland. The Museum's previous research on bear skeletons, conducted to establish the effect of arthritis on limbs, had informed end-of-life care for Victoria. An RZSS spokesman said: 'We undertake postmortem examinations of all our animals on site as standard. With Victoria we were able to establish that she had advanced arthritis in her limbs and spine. 'Various blood, tissue and organ samples have been preserved for research by RZSS, while her remains are now in the collections of National Museums Scotland.' Dr Nick Fraser, Keeper of Natural Sciences at National Museums Scotland, said: 'Our natural science collections form an invaluable resource for current and future researchers in Scotland and across the world. 'The development of a collection such as ours over centuries enables scientists to study developments in animal populations over those periods, and to apply new techniques as they emerge to learn more.' Victoria was born at Rostock Zoo in Germany on 12 December 1996, and had her first cub, a female named Malik, in 2008 at Aalborg Zoo in Denmark. She was transported to the Highland Wildlife Park in 2015 as a mate for resident male Arktos. They produced the UK's first polar bear cub in 25 years in December 2017. The cub, named Hamish, went to live with a group of other young males at Yorkshire Wildlife Park in November 2020, just weeks before his third birthday. Her third and last cub, Brodie, born in 2021, remains at the Highland Wildlife Park. The decision for Victoria to be 'put to sleep' was taken following advice from RZSS vets, 'taking into account her quality of life and wellbeing'. Keepers said 28 years-old was the equivalent of her being in her 90s in human years. Following her death, RZSS said in a statement: 'With only a small percentage of polar bears living past 18 in the wild, at 28, Victoria's age is testament to the world class care she received from her keepers and veterinary team. 'She leaves an incredible legacy through her cubs who play an essential role in the European breeding programme, which ensures a healthy and genetically diverse population of these bears living in human care.' Credit RZSS Like this: Like Related
