CALGARY — Officials at Calgary's zoo are mourning the loss of a two-year-old female lowland gorilla.
Officials at the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo say Eyare died after being injured while being moved Tuesday.
"They have great personalities. She was fun loving, playful. Just a delight," said Colleen Baird, director of animal care, health and welfare.
"Her care team and veterinary staff acted extremely quickly to save her, but Eyare subsequently passed away as a result of her injuries."
An investigation is being conducted to find out what occurred and if changes need to be made to prevent a similar future event, said Baird.
The troop of the critically endangered gorillas includes a silverback male, a young male and four adult females. They can weigh between 68 and 181 kilograms.
Eyare was born at the zoo in April 2022, the first offspring for dam Dossi and sire Jasiri.
Baird said it's a blow to zoo staff and to the gorilla troop, which are very social.
"Saying goodbye to the animals we love and care for is never easy, but it is especially so when the loss comes unexpectedly,” said Baird.
"We're monitoring that now. They are grieving just like our staff. Our staff and the troop are one big family and they are both going through this loss."
The death occurred in the back-of-house area, which is where staff do training with gorillas, feed them, and provide ultrasounds and veterinary services away from their normal habitat. Baird said the movements often happen daily, and the investigation will be thorough.
"We want to look at our facilities, our processes, and we'll look at video footage and of course talk to the staff that were there."
It's not the first death at the zoo this year.
A seven-year-old male polar bear named Baffin died July 19 after failing to resurface from the plunge pool within its enclosure.
A necropsy found Baffin drowned following a crushing injury to his trachea by another bear while the two were engaged in rough play.
In April, the zoo announced that one of its mandrills — a large and colourful monkey — had died. It said 20-year-old Yusufu died after undergoing emergency abdominal surgery.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press