Endangered Chimp Dies Suddenly at Detroit Zoo

In this series of photos, Akita is pictured with her offspring, her 7-year-old son, Ajua, and 4-year-old daughter, Akira. (Photos via Facebook)

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The staff of the Detroit Zoo is mourning the death of an adult chimpanzee, 28-year-old Akati, who collapsed suddenly Tuesday while in the zoo’s Great Apes of Harambee exhibit.

In a statement on its Facebook page, zoo officials said Akati was “a lovely, intelligent being and a wonderful mother of Ajua, 7, and Akira, 4.”

A necropsy – an autopsy for animals – will be performed to determine the cause of Akita’s unexpected death.

“Our staff, volunteers and visitors will miss her so very much,” the zoo said.

Zoo officials say they will monitor the other chimpanzees closely, especially the younger ones.

The zoo did not immediately return Patch’s calls for comments, but hundreds of people have posted condolences to caretakers and others close to Akita on the zoo’s Facebook page. Several posted their own photographs of the beloved chimpanzee.

Sorrow splashed like tears in the long thread of comments.

“I’m so very sad to hear this news,” wrote Kim Hoogerhyde. “My heartfelt condolences to the zoo staff and to all those who loved and learned from Akati.”

“Rest In Peace sweet baby…” Shannon O’rourke-Mattison said.

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“Rest peacefully sweet mama,” Ginger Wittmann added. “Hugs to those who cared for this wonderful being.”

Others wondered how other chimpanzees are responding to the death of Akita. Chimpanzees are highly social individuals, according to the Florida-based Center for Great Apes sanctuary, often living in troops of 15 to 120 individuals.

“So very sorry for your loss,” wrote Traci Coronado-querio. “Whether they are our personal furry babies living with us or they live elsewhere and we care for them daily, it always hurts. I pray the other chimps, especially her babies, will be OK.”

“So sad, thoughts for her friends, fans, caregivers and family,” Lynne Roddy Hammill posted. “The entire group must be grieving. Hope they can find an answer. RIP Akati.”

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At 7, Ajua, is a juvenile testing his independence, but 4-year-olds like his sister, Akira, would typically still be nursing and carried by their mothers.

Akita was one of 12 chimpanzees living at the Detroit Zoo in a 4-acre habitat that also includes western lowland gorillas and drills, a type of short-tailed monkey. The zoo says the primates spend their days foraging, grooming and playing in the habitat, which mimics what would be their native African range.

Chimpanzees – which along with bonobos are humans’ closest living relatives – share about 99 percent similar DNA as humans. Though genetically related, humans and chimpanzees behave much differently, and scientists studying captive apes are exploring the genetic basis for the differences between modern humans and chimpanzees and bonobos.

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Chimpanzees can live for up to 60 years in captivity. In the wild, the average lifespan is 40 to 50 years, according to the Center for Great Apes. The current wild population of endangered chimpanzees, found exclusively in Africa, is estimated at between 80,000 and 120,000.

Habitat destruction and poaching for the exotic animal trade pose significant threats to their survival, the Center for Great Apes said, but the No. 1 threat remains the bushmeat trade, with some estimates showing that as many as 6,000 chimpanzees are killed and eaten by humans.