According to zoo staff, their beloved gorilla, Catherine, passed away on Monday, February 2nd, at 42 years old.
Catherine was the oldest gorilla currently at the Little Rock Zoo. She was born on May 18, 1983, while at the Toronto Zoo, and had been in Little Rock since 2004.
The week prior to her passing, animal care staff had noticed that Catherine had been having some swelling in her hand and was also experiencing some shortness of breath. She was then given medication, which did help, but she needed further examination to best figure out how to treat her.
Veterinary staff performed an echocardiogram on her to see how the medication had been affecting her breathing. However, the echo showed fluid around her lungs, and that Catherine was in heart failure.
Therefore, veterinary and zoo staff made the difficult decision to put her to sleep.
She was also a fighter as she previously had a stroke back in 2020 and was one of only a few gorillas known to have survived a stroke.
During her decades at the Little Rock Zoo, she has had many fans and supporters. Catherine will be remembered for her sassy attitude and her relentless pursuit of attention from some of the other gorillas.
Staff at the zoo say that she always kept them on their toes and was always very excited when it came to her mealtimes.
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