‘Deeply missed’: 52-year-old gorilla at Toronto Zoo dies from natural causes

The Toronto Zoo says its “iconic” gorilla, aged 52, has passed distant from earthy causes aft experiencing important wellness issues.

The Western lowland gorilla named Charles died precocious Tuesday, the zoo said.

“Charles became an unforgettable portion of a Toronto Zoo visit. With his awesome stature (weighing much than 195 kg), omniscient regard and majestic silverback, Charles had a existent presence,” the zoo said.

The 52-year-old ape has been astatine the Zoo for much than 50 years — since the Toronto Zoo opened successful 1974 — and successful doing so, has outlived astir critically endangered Western lowland gorillas, which typically unrecorded betwixt 30 and 40 years of property successful the wild.

The Zoo said Charles was an orphan erstwhile helium came to the Zoo from Gabon, Africa conscionable anterior to the Zoo’s opening and became 1 of the astir iconic Zoo residents.

“His agelong beingness astatine the Zoo allowed america the unsocial accidental to witnesser his bonzer travel from a playful juvenile to a protective and omniscient leader, arsenic helium took connected the relation of silverback guiding his unit with grace and authority,” the Zoo said.

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The Toronto Zoo had provided an update earlier this week that Charles was responding good to attraction aft showing concerning wellness symptoms implicit the weekend.

As Charles wellness deteriorated, Zoo goers were not capable to spot him.

“His dependable and beardown beingness volition beryllium profoundly missed by the full Zoo community,” the zoo said.

The Toronto Zoo has acceptable up a memorial page for radical to permission a connection oregon photos oregon marque a donation.