How Did Evelyn Die? Los Angeles Zoo Oldest Gorilla Cause of Death Explained
The LA Zoo’s oldest gorilla, Evelyn, is slated for execution.
Evelyn LA Zoo’s Oldest Gorilla
Evelyn was the oldest gorilla in the L.A. Zoo’s history, which is a true testament to the incredible care provided to her by our animal care and veterinary teams.
Zoo officials said that Evelyn lived such a long life because of the good care taken of her. Most western lowland gorillas live to 30 or 40 in the wild, officials said.
Evelyn lived her whole life at the zoo since her birth in 1976. She even attempted a daring escape from the gorilla compound in 2000.
“For about an hour and 15 minutes, Evelyn, who was born in the zoo, poked flowers, swatted at butterflies, played hide and seek with anxious zoo keepers, and even went for a stroll to see orangutans, giraffes, and elephants,” according to a story in The Times from 2000.
Evelyn & Angela Bonding
Angela milestone! ✨ Angela the #LAZooGorillaBaby 🦍 has been seen interacting with Evelyn, the eldest female gorilla in the family group. “It is wonderful to see the two of them spend time together,” says Animal Keeper Tania Prebble.#Gorilla #Ape #LAZoo
📹: Saori Hironaka pic.twitter.com/PMvMUCTNCg— Los Angeles Zoo (@LAZoo) December 8, 2021
What Happened to Evelyn?
On the Twitter thread announcing the gorilla’s passing, Tania Prebble, one of the zoo’s animal caretakers, wrote, “We are all so heartbroken by the loss of Evelyn.”
Words are inadequate to express the amount of love and joy she brought to everyone during the 46 years of her life. For me, having worked with her for the past 15 years has been a blessing. According to zoo officials, Evelyn had a “charismatic and independent personality” and was well-known for her red hair.
“We are all so deeply saddened over the loss of Evelyn,” said Animal Keeper Tania Prebble. “Words cannot describe how much love and joy she gave everyone over her 46 years of her life. Personally, working with her these last 15 years has been a blessing. 3/6 pic.twitter.com/1aZSNGwUaN
— Los Angeles Zoo (@LAZoo) December 7, 2022
How Did Evelyn Die?
The Los Angeles Zoo’s oldest gorilla, Evelyn, has passed away. The zoo stated today that she was put to death after “experiencing health concerns leading to a reduction in her quality of life over the last number of weeks.”
Evelyn was born in 1976 at the zoo and was a native of Los Angeles. The zoo ascribed Evelyn’s longevity to the level of care provided at the facility, even though western lowland gorillas can live 30 to 40 years in the wild.
She also “provided a close eye over the newest child, Angela,” according to the authorities, and “had been a fantastic family member to Kelly, N’Djia, and Rapunzel.”
An endangered subspecies of the bigger western gorilla, the western lowland gorilla is a native of the woods and swamps of central Africa.