LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Catherine, the Little Rock Zoo’s oldest gorilla and a longtime favorite among visitors, died Monday after complications from heart failure, the Zoo announced Saturday. She was 42.
Keepers noticed swelling in one of her hands and shortness of breath late last week. Initial medication helped, but an echocardiogram on Monday revealed fluid around her lungs and signs of heart failure. Zoo officials opted to humanely euthanize her due to her poor prognosis.
Newborn baby gorilla meets Little Rock Zoo caretaker’s newborn
Catherine, a western lowland gorilla, was born in 1983 at the Toronto Zoo and joined the Little Rock Zoo in 2004 after time at the Columbus Zoo. She lived well beyond the median life expectancy for female gorillas in human care, which is 37 years.
She survived an ischemic stroke in 2020 and remained the longest‑known gorilla survivor of such an event. The Zoo’s veterinary team monitored her closely in coordination with the Great Ape Heart Project.
Little Rock Zoo shares growth update on baby gorilla Beni
Staff remembered Catherine for her bold personality, her attempts to get the attention of silverback Kivu, and her distinctive “happy food grumbles” at mealtimes…