The oldest orangutan in the world died

Sumatra orangutan died in Miami, USA, was 55 years old. He was discovered to have stopped breathing on the morning of December 29.

It was autopsied and found a small blood mass in the brain, indicating that an abnormal tumor or aneurysm led to death. Most unusual orangutans cannot live to age 40.

Nonja was born naturally in Indonesia's Sumatra island in June 1952. It was transferred to Miami from a zoo in the Netherlands in 1983 and its name means "girl" in Dutch. Nonja has been a mother 5 times.

Sumatran orangutans have been listed as endangered by the World Conservation Committee and may become extinct in less than 10 years. There are about 7,300 Sumatran orangutans in nature in 2003.

(Photo: Kidk.com)

MT