Around 8:30 am on Thursday, Suzi the chimpanzee was found lying dead at the Nehru Zoological Park in Hyderabad. Preliminary investigation was carried out and it was found that Suzi had died around 7 am on Thursday morning. According to K Kshitija, the curator at the Hyderabad zoo, 35-year-old chimpanzee suffered a massive heart stroke this morning.
A post-mortem was conducted by a team of veterinary experts from a veterinary college and as per the post-mortem report, all of Suzi’s organs except for the heart and lungs appeared normal. The symptoms were indicative of a massive heart stroke.
The chimpanzee was born on July 15, 1986 and was aged 35 years old. Suzi was loved dearly by not only the zoo staff but also the visitors. According to the zoo curator, “Until yesterday Suzi was quite normal. She ate fruits, sprouts, juices and coconut water. Suzi was the only chimpanzee at the Nehru Zoological Park. Suzi’s loving behaviour and antics made her very dear to the staff and visitors alike. It has left the Nehru Zoo family with a huge void but she has left behind wonderful memories to cherish.”
The average lifespan of a chimpanzee is around 39 years in captivity. Prior to Suzi, another chimpanzee died due to heart stroke at the age of 42 years, in 2012. With Suzi’s demise, only 3-4 zoos are left with chimpanzees in the country.
Suzi had celebrated her birthday on July 15. The female chimpanzee usually is treated with her favourite chocolate cake every birthday. However, due to the pandemic the zoo authorities decided to avoid ordering from outside. She instead prepared her other favourite- mixed fruit salad. She also loved Mosambi and on her birthday she was treated with extra helpings of mosambi juice.
Suzi also had a machaan (a platform atop a tree) which was decorated with a fruit garland. She loved her caretakers Prasad and Raju and enjoyed their attention and the special things they did for her. She always loved visitors and according to zoo officials she would grin, jump or even do somersaults to express her excitement.