America’s oldest chimpanzee dies at age 63

After a career in movies, he moved to San Fransisco Zoo and ‘touched so many lives’, according to zoo management

The oldest male chimpanzee residing in an authorised zoo in North America has died.

Cobby was 63 and lived in San Francisco Zoo & Gardens when he passed away on Saturday. Before moving to the zoo in the 1960s, he was raised to be a performer in the film and TV industry. No cause of death was outlined in the announcement, however, they noted the animal had been sick and think old age was a contributor to his death.

“Cobby was part of San Francisco,” said Tanya M. Peterson, the executive director of the San Fransisco Zoological Society, in a press release on Sunday. ““He touched so many lives, and people have so many memories of him. He is irreplaceable, and our hearts are broken. We will all miss seeing his handsome grey beard watching over us from the top platform of the yard.”

“Cobby, a gentle soul, brought a calming presence to our troop of seven and was a protective companion to Minnie and Maggie, who he lived with for 42 years.”

In 2018, a film about his life, Cobby: The Other Side of Cute, was released. It tells the story about how he was stolen from wild to work in Hollywood and how he retired to the zoo aged seven. The alternative for working chimps was being dedicated to science experiments.

Chimpanzees are classified as an endangered species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, citing destruction of their habitat, hunting and disease as major factors leading to this. In the wild, they have an expected life span of 33 years but in captivity, they are believed to reach between 50 and 60 years old.