World's 2nd-Oldest Female Bornean Orangutan Euthanized At Brookfield Zoo

By Mae Rice in News on May 23, 2016 2:59PM

Maggie, the Bornean orangutan euthanized Friday (photo via Chicago Zoological Society)

The Brookfield Zoo's 54-year-old Bornean orangutan, Maggie—the second oldest female orangutan of her species in the world, according to Reuters—was humanely euthanized on Friday.

Despite incredible care as her health deteriorated, including cardiac ultrasounds and CT scans at the Brookfield Zoo's animal hospital, Maggie ultimately grew too sick to ethically be kept alive. Though always sharp, curious and fun-loving, according to her caretakers, she also struggled with arthritis, heart disease and several other ailments that also affect elderly humans.

Maggie was born at the San Diego Zoo in 1961, where she gave birth to four babies. When she moved to the Brookfield Zoo in 1995, she stopped having kids of her own, but acted as a "surrogate mother" to two orangutan infants.

One of those infants is still very young. However, to fill the void left by Maggie, the zoo has already begun connecting Kecil, age 2.5, with a new surrogate family.

"With the passing of Maggie, Kecil will not be alone," the zoo said in a statement, prompting everyone in the world to cry.

The oldest female orangutan in the world was born in 1955, six years before Maggie, and lives at Tokyo's Tama Zoological Park, Reuters reports.