MORGANTON, Ga.—A 49-year-old gorilla has been euthanized at gorilla housing facility in Georgia following a marked decline in his health.
Joe, who was the third oldest western lowland gorilla in captivity, also suffered from ongoing chronic health conditions, including cardiac disease. Since 2003, he had lived at Dewar Wildlife in Morganton, a holding facility for zoo gorillas that have special needs.
Zoo Atlanta, a partner Dewar Wildlife, said Joe was euthanized Tuesday.
Joe was born in the wild in Cameroon in 1963. He moved to the Birmingham Zoo in Birmingham, Ala., in 1966 and lived there for 20 years. He has also lived at the Denver Zoo in Denver, Colo., and the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas.
Gorillas are considered geriatric after the age of about 35.
