Sacramento Zoo’s Joey the chimpanzee dies. At 57, he far exceeded his life expectancy
.jpeg "Joey the chimpanzee, 57, died at the Sacramento Zoo on Sunday May 30, 2021.")
The Sacramento Zoo on Tuesday announced the death of Joey the chimpanzee, who was one of the four oldest chimpanzees to be cared for by the Association of Zoo & Aquarium professionals in the United States.
He died at the age of 57, exceeding the mean life expectancy of 32.5 years for a male chimpanzee in human care, officials said on the zoo’s Facebook page. Joey arrived at the Sacramento Zoo in 1967 from a facility in Thousand Oaks.
After his midday meal Sunday, Joey died while surrounded by the rest of the chimpanzees at the zoo: Amelia, Dougie, Maria and Pablo.
“When I was a kid in 1976, I remember visiting the chimps and seeing Joey. I never imagined I would end up being one of his primary caregivers for almost three decades,” zookeeper Tom Nakayama said in the zoo’s announcement. “Almost half of our lives! I’m so thankful for what Joey has taught me, especially the virtue of patience. Seeing him transition from powerful alpha to a loving ‘uncle’ for baby Maria, to a dignified old man.”
Joey was the oldest mammal at the zoo and officials said his long life was due to the excellent care he received from zookeepers and University of California, Davis veterinarians.
The zoo has a fully equipped hospital on its grounds and a partnership with the UC Davis veterinary program. In December 2016, members of the public watched from behind a window as Joey was given a medical exam in the hospital’s treatment room.
The team who examined Joey included the zoo’s chief veterinarian and four cardiology specialists from UC Davis.
Most of the zoo’s animals, from birds to frogs to kangaroos, get a full medical exam every year, including X-rays and blood work. Chimps, because of concerns about placing them under anesthesia for extended periods of time, get head-to-toe examinations every other year, according to an article published in The Sacramento Bee.
Following a cardiac evaluation that day, the zoo’s chief veterinarian pronounced Joey’s heart was strong for a chimp his age. He was later cleared to return to his den.
Zoo official said chimpanzees are listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and their biggest threats are habitat loss due to deforestation, disease and the illegal pet and bush meat trade.
There were an estimated 1 to 2 million chimpanzees across 25 countries in Africa 100 years ago, according to the zoo. Today, there are as few as 350,000 wild chimpanzees across the continent.
