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AP

Saint Louis Zoo Euthanizes Elder Orangutan

By JEFF DOUGLAS, Associated Press WriterWed Mar 29, 8:17 PM ET

One of the Saint Louis Zoo's most popular orangutans, and its oldest
primate, has died. Zoo officials said "Junior" was euthanized Tuesday
after his health had been declining. He was thought to be about 44
years old.

Junior was the third-oldest male in the national Orangutan Species
Survival Plan population. He was born in Sumatra, a western Indonesian
island, and came to the U.S. in 1963. He first lived at the Tulsa,
Okla., and Memphis, Tenn., zoos.

Zoo officials said Wednesday that veterinarians had been treating
Junior for severe arthritis for three years. In recent weeks, pain
medication did not appear to be helping and Junior became reluctant to
move and eat.

"It's like losing a really close friend. They share so many
characteristics with us and we developed very close bonds," the zoo's
primate curator Ingrid Porton said. "It's a very difficult decision to
make, but I think we made the right and kind decision."

He came to St. Louis in 1992 as part of the national species survival
plan and quickly became a favorite among zoo keepers for his gentle
nature.

"You had to prove yourself to Junior and show you were trustworthy,"
Porton said. "When he let you in his world, you saw what a magnificent
guy he was. You wouldn't say that about his female counterpart or some
other male orangs."

Zoo officials said orangutans from Junior's part of the world are
critically endangered due to widespread habitat destruction.
Exacerbating the problem is the fact that female orangutans breed only
once every seven to nine years, Porton said.

Of all the male orangutans at the Saint Louis Zoo, Junior had the
fewest offspring, a son and a daughter with his mate Merah, Porton
said. He was the most valued because he came from the wild and was the
oldest of all the primates at the zo