Robin, a 40-year-old orangutan at the Denver Zoo for 20 years, died Friday.
Zoo officials said they had to euthanize Robin due to health problems that weren’t improving.
“This past week, his extreme lethargy, lack of appetite and loss of fine motor skills reached a level of severity not seen before. Having lost his quality of life, staff made the difficult decision to euthanize Robin,” according to a news release from the zoo.
According to the zoo, Robin was the second-oldest male orangutan in North American zoos — far exceeding the life expectancy of 27.7 years for orangutans.
“This has been a particularly hard loss for our staff, volunteers and community,” said Brian Aucone, vice president for animal care and conservation, said the news release. “Robin was a warm and engaging animal that was adored by all. He was known to make silly faces to get a reaction from guests. Certainly, the world is a lesser place without this beautiful creature.”
Robin was born at the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory in St. Paul, Minn., but had been staying in Chicago when he was brought to the Denver Zoo in April 1996.
Robin’s recent health issues included arthritis, neurologic degeneration and pneumonia. In attempting to diagnose his failing health over the past year, zoo staffers did MRI and CT scans. Robin was also taking anti-inflammatory and pain medications.
The zoo still is home to orangutans Nias, 27, Bernas, 13, and Hesty, 5.
Yesenia Robles: 303-954-1372, yrobles@denverpost.com or @yeseniarobles
