Buffalo, NY – Members of the Buffalo Zoo staff are saddened by the death of Becky, a 29 year-old female western lowland gorilla, who passed away on Sunday, April 10th.
Animal care staff had observed Becky becoming significantly more lame over the course of the last week. On Sunday, she was immobilized to receive additional therapy for severe inflammation of muscle tissue and to undergo further diagnostic examination. While under anesthesia, her heart failed and she died. Preliminary necropsy results indicate she had severe inflammation of the lining of her abdominal wall and an infection on her leg. The Zoo is awaiting the final histopathology report to determine the source of these infections and whether they were involved in her heart muscle failure.
Becky was born at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago on October 15, 1981. She arrived at the Buffalo Zoo in May of 1987. During her lifetime, she gave birth to seven babies, including daughter Lily, who still resides at the Buffalo Zoo. Her other offspring are at zoos in Denver, Fort Worth, North Carolina, Omaha and Santa Barbara.
Becky was very popular with Zoo personnel and will be greatly missed. She will be remembered by her keepers for her intelligence, stubbornness and spunk.
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