Dublin Zoo’s oldest chimp has passed away at the age of 62.
Betty was the world's oldest living chimp in captivity but age had slowly caught up with her.
Suffering from a multiple of age-related health conditions, her carers took the “difficult decision” to euthanise her.
“There will never be another like Betty,” Dublin Zoo said in a statement.
“She will be missed dearly by everyone here in Dublin Zoo, as well as the many generations of visitors who were fortunate to know her.”
“There will never be another like Betty, and she will be missed dearly by everyone here in Dublin Zoo as well as the many generations of visitors who were fortunate to know her.”https://t.co/6E0bzw5Vzz pic.twitter.com/XGbG39s7aE
— Dublin Zoo (@DublinZoo) July 23, 2024
Betty first arrived in Dublin Zoo in 1964 – when Éamon de Valera was President of Ireland and the world was still reeling from the assassination of JFK just a few months beforehand.
Dublin Zoo team leader Helen Clarke-Bennett first met Betty as a child in the 1970s.
Ms Clarke-Bennett’s father worked at the zoo and she was struck by how “strong minded” the young chimpanzee was.
Betty’s best friend was another chimpanzee, Wendy, who had moved with her to Dublin Zoo in 1964.
"They were lifelong friends; inseparable up until Wendy’s passing in 2014," Ms Clarke Bennett recalled.
"One of my favourite images will always be that of Betty putting her arm around Wendy to encourage her to go outside with the rest of the troop, when Wendy was stubbornly refusing to leave while the habitat was cleaned."
Chimpanzees are humans’ closest genetic relative, sharing 98.8% of the same DNA.
In the wild in their native Africa, they have an average lifespan of 45-years and grow to between 1.2 and 1.65 metres in length.
Chimpanzees are currently endangered due to habitat loss, disease, hunting and their slow rate of reproduction.
Main image: Betty. Image by: Dublin Zoo.
