Dublin Zoo has paid tribute to its "longest-standing resident", as it says goodbye to 62-year-old chimpanzee named Betty.
The decision was taken to euthanise Betty, who was the oldest living chimp in human care, due to age-related conditions which were negatively impacting on her health.
The West African chimpanzee arrived at Dublin Zoo in 1964.
In a statement posted on the Dublin Zoo website on Tuesday, team leader Helen Clarke Bennett, who has been a keeper at the zoo since 1987, recalled first meeting Betty in the 1970s, when the chimp was in the care of her father, Michael Clarke.
In 2012, the zoo held a 50th birthday for Betty and her 'lifelong friend', fellow chimp Wendy.
"It was uplifting to see so many visitors turn up to celebrate these wonderful old ladies, and many had memories of seeing them back when they arrived in 1964," Ms Clarke Bennett said.
“There will never be another like Betty, and she will be missed dearly by everyone here in Dublin Zoo as well as the many generations of visitors who were fortunate to know her.”https://t.co/6E0bzw5Vzz pic.twitter.com/XGbG39s7aE
— Dublin Zoo (@DublinZoo) July 23, 2024
"Little did I know myself that my first encounter all that time ago was just the start of a connection that would last for decades," she added.
Betty lived out her final years in Dublin in a quieter habitat alongside Austin and Bossou, two of the zoo's male chimps.
Ms Clarke Bennett explained that, due to Betty's age, she was under the constant supervision of the zoo's veterinary and animal care teams, who noted age-related conditions, including chronic arthritis and declining kidney function, had recently started to impact her health.
"These conditions were impacting her mobility and her weight, and could not be fixed with further medical or surgical interventions. This led to the difficult decision made by Dublin Zoo’s veterinary and animal care team, in conjunction with management, to euthanise Betty," she said.
"While I’m incredibly sad to say goodbye to a companion I’ve had since childhood, I’m confident that euthanising Betty was the correct decision, ensuring she didn’t suffer unnecessarily and allowing her to keep her dignity to the very end. I take huge comfort in that.
"There will never be another like Betty, and she will be missed dearly by everyone here in Dublin Zoo as well as the many generations of visitors who were fortunate to know her," Ms Clarke Bennett's statement concluded.
