A male orangutan housed at Atlanta Zoo, who was among the first apes to learn sign language, as well as being able to clean his room and remember the way to his favourite fast-food restaurant, has died at the age of 39.
Chantek the orangutan was taught by a trainer, who raised him like her own child, and was recently being treated for heart disease, the zoo said in a statement. A necropsy will determine the exact cause of death.
"Chantek will be deeply missed by his family here at Zoo Atlanta. He had such a unique and engaging personality and special ways of relating to and communicating with those who knew him best," said Hayley Murphy, vice president of the zoo's animal divisions.
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She added, "Chantek's long life is a great testament to the dedication of his care team and to the work of the Great Ape Heart Project, the combined efforts of which made it possible for us to give him the best care and quality of life the zoological community has to offer."
Born at the Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center in Atlanta, Chantek was one of the oldest male orangutans in North American zoos.
The ape was able to use tools, communicate in sign language and could even direct a driving route from the university to a Dairy Queen restaurant, according to a 2014 PBS documentary, The Ape Who Went to College.
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Along with Koko, a gorilla, and Washoe, a female chimpanzee, Chantek was one of only a handful of great apes capable of communicating in American sign language.
Credit: Atlanta Zoo
Chantek first came to Atlanta Zoo in 1997 and would often use his skills to communicate with his keepers. However, the zoo said he was shy of talking to people he wasn't familiar with and instead would use more traditional ape-like ways of communicating, such as gestures and vocalisations.
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"In addition to forming bonds with his human caregivers, Chantek also formed close relationships with other orangutans at Zoo Atlanta," the statement from the zoo read. The other members of his group are 34-year-old female Madu, two-year-old female Keju and juvenile males Dumadi, 10, and Remy, six. Chantek particularly enjoyed playing with the younger males, especially Dumadi, who could often be seen with or near him in the group's Asian Forest habitat.
Chantek's species is considered critically endangered in the wild. Bornean and Sumatran orangutans are facing sharp drops in numbers due to habitat loss and timber cutting.
Source: BBC News
Featured Image Credit: Atlanta Zoo