Gorilla and giraffe lives lost at separate Western New York zoos
This month has been difficult for Western New York zoo lovers as the Buffalo Zoo and the Seneca Park Zoo have both been hit with losses. The Buffalo Zoo announced the death of Koga, their silverback western lowland gorilla, on Thursday, Feb. 15, while the Seneca Park Zoo mourned the death of baby giraffe PJ just two days later on Saturday, Feb. 17.
President and CEO of the Buffalo Zoo, Lisa Smith, stated “It is with heavy hearts that we announce the sudden passing of our male silverback western lowland gorilla, Koga, who died yesterday morning from a cardiac event.” Though Koga was born at the Bronx Zoo in New York City on August 14, 1987, he spent seventeen years residing in the Buffalo Zoo. Koga’s caregivers announced that though his death was tragic and unexpected, he had been under regular medical care since last year. The average life expectancy for captive lowland gorillas is roughly 32.7 years, meaning that 36-year-old Koga lived a long fulfilled life, fathering three children while at Buffalo; Mari (13), Kayin (8), and Nyah (10).
This is not the first time Koga has made it into the news, as he made headlines when escaped his enclosure back in 2012. The Buffalo News reported that the then 24-year-old silverback had briefly escaped his enclosure and injured a zoo keeper. Koga managed to breach a door that was not properly secured but luckily made no contact with the larger public. All was eventually forgiven according to former Zoo President Donna M. Fernandes, however, as she stated “I think he was more excited than hostile.”
The zoo told The Buffalo News that Koga was “a charismatic, intelligent, well-loved animal”, and he will be dearly missed by western New York zoo-goers. In hopes of honoring Koga, the Buffalo Zoo has asked the community to donate to the Buffalo Zoo as funds will be used to care for Buffalo’s female gorilla troop, as well as gorillas in the wild. This is especially important, as according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the population of western lowland gorillas has declined more than sixty percent over just the past twenty-five years. Their website reads, “The critically endangered western lowland gorilla is undergoing a dramatic decline due to poaching, disease, and habitat loss.”
Additionally, this month marked tragedy at the Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester, as baby giraffe Parker Junior (PJ) suddenly died of a seizure on Saturday, Feb. 17 according to Rochester News (WHAM). The Seneca Zoo told WHAM that he "showed signs of being lame in the left rear leg" on Sunday, Dec. 24, just days after birth, and his condition continued to decline over the next several days. The Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine Veterinarians established that PJ died from encephalitis and infection of the tissues around the brain, according to Rochesterfirst.
Seneca Park Zoo Superintendent Steve Lacy has stated, “After any tragic situation, we want to go back [and evaluate] what happened, how it happened,” Lacy told WHAM, “One of our primary missions at the zoo is to ensure we can provide world-class care for all of the animals.” The zoo's general curator David Hamilton's official statement was brief yet touching, stating “PJ was with us for too short a time, and we are heartbroken…He brought us a lot of joy.”
These occurrences are a demonstration of a sad, but natural event. Ultimately, the public can appreciate the ways in which zoos can help to build back up population rates of endangered species, as well as give them access to proper, knowledgeable medical care that can help them to lead long and content lives.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons