10 February, 2017

Beni the Chimpanzee dies after injury

Beni, Wellington Zoo’s nine-year-old male Chimpanzee, has died after sustaining an injury. Despite a week of close monitoring by the Zoo’s animal care and veterinary teams he passed away last Friday.

“We discovered a deep cut on Beni’s leg last Saturday and performed emergency surgery, “said Primates Team Leader, Harmony Wallace.

“Despite severe blood loss, Beni started showing some signs of recovery the day after his first surgery. By the next day he became lethargic and lost interest in his food and water. He underwent a further veterinary procedure for further diagnostics and treatments on Friday. He did not recover from the anaesthetic due to his compromised state .”

Beni was born at Wellington Zoo nine years ago and was a much loved member of the Zoo’s Chimpanzee troop. “Beni had a very cheeky personality and he made it easy for his carers, other Zoo staff and our visitors to fall in love with him. He will be sorely missed by all of us and we have all been very saddened by his death,” Wallace said.

Chimpanzees are an endangered species due to loss of habitat and poaching. Wellington Zoo works with the Jane Goodall Institute to protect Chimpanzees and other primates in the wild by supporting sanctuaries, the reduction of illegal animal trafficking, and community learning to protect endangered apes in the wild.

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