Some animals are blessed with having very long lives. These animals can stick around for decades, delighting generations of people and serving as beloved ambassadors for their species.
Like Helen, a western lowland gorilla who was a fixture of the Louisville Zoo for decades, and held the distinction of being one of the oldest gorillas in the world.
Sadly, the zoo announced recently that Helen recently died at the age of 64.
According to a press release from the zoo, Helen was the second-oldest gorilla in the world at the time of her passing. She was affectionately called the “Grand Dame” of the gorilla world.
At 64, she had a remarkably long life for her species, far surpassing the average life expectancy: the zoo writes that female zoo gorillas only live about 39 years on average.
Even so, she remained in “remarkably good health for most of her life,” the zoo writes, besides some age-related arthritis and periodontal disease.
However she recently suffered instability and tremors that impacted her day-to-day welfare, so the zoo made the difficult decision of humanely euthanizing Helen.
“Letting go of a special gorilla like Helen is very hard, but it is often the last, best thing we can do for our animals,” Louisville Zoo Director Dan Maloney said in the press release.
“Helen’s exceptional longevity is not only a testament to her personal constitution, but also to the outstanding care provided by her keeper team and the animal health care staff over these past 20 years.”
Helen leaves behind quite a legacy: she was a mother of three, grandmother of 17, great-grandmother of 21, a great-great-grandmother of 8, and even had one great-great-great-grandchild.
Western lowland gorillas are a critically endangered species, so Helen certainly did her part to keep the population going. And as one of the most famous zoo gorillas, the “Grand Dame” raised awareness of the species for generations of zoo visitors.
“Helen was one of our most beloved ambassadors,” Maloney said. “Her fascination with human babies delighted families for decades. I know our friends and members will share in her loss and miss her greatly.”
“Helen was a legend and she deserved the best,” said Louisville Zoo’s Senior Veterinarian Dr. Zoli Gyimesi. “Besides the Zoo’s staff that cared for her daily, she had her own dentist, cardiologist, gynecologist, neurologist, and orthopedist/pain manager. Helen taught us much about gorillas and geriatric gorilla care.”
“Helen inspired us all with her longevity,” added Kristen Lukas, Ph.D. and Chair of the Gorilla Species Survival Plan with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. “She touched the lives of many people over the years, including those who cared for her and those who just spent time visiting her at the Zoo. She was an independent spirit as well as being an integral member of her gorilla family, and her legacy lives on.”
Helen was born in West Africa in 1958, and came to the Louisville Zoo in 2002 from the Lincoln Park Zoo.
She was the oldest gorilla in North America, and the second-oldest in the world: her longevity was surpassed only by Fatou, a female gorilla living in Zoo Berlin who is currently 65 years old.
Rest in peace to this beautiful gorilla. It’s sad that she’s gone, but she definitely had a good long life and made a big impact on everyone she encountered.
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