The oldest Sumatran Orangutan in captivity in Japan has died peacefully aged 54.
Neo died at Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Garden on 14th March from multiple organ failure, reports local media.
Her health began to fail in August last year with a toothache which revealed a tumour in her lower jaw.
Zoo officials withdrew her from public enclosures last month as they monitored her decline,
Neo is said to have been the oldest animal born at the zoo and has been there longer than any other resident or employee.
The Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii) is a critically endangered species and is found in the wild only in the north of the Indonesian island of Sumatra.
Males grow to a height of about 1.7 metres (5.6 feet) and weigh 90 kilogrammes (200 lb), while females are smaller, with an average height of 90 centimetres (3.0 feet) and a weight of 45 kilogrammes (99 lb).
The Sumatran orangutan is classified as Critically Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
The world’s oldest surviving orangutan is said to be Bella aged 63 who lives at a Tierpark Hagenbeck zoo in Hamburg, Germany.
To find out more about the author, editor or agency that supplied this story – please click below. Story By: Marija Stojkoska, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash
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