Woodland Park Zoo's beloved male gorilla "Leo" passed away Thursday night at the age of 40 after a brief illness.
The 360-pound gorilla was the leader of the gorilla group at the zoo. Leo, or Leonel, came to Woodland Park Zoo in 2008 and became a surrogate father to a baby gorilla named Yola.
"This is a devastating loss for Leo's family, our gorilla keepers and our zoo family. We're shocked by his sudden death and will provide extra support and TLC for his family group. This is a very difficult time for our staff and volunteers," said Nancy Hawkes, Woodland Park Zoo's director of animal care.
Leo had been under 24-hour care this past week before he died. He had shown signs of improvement, but unfortunately died suddenly in the presence of his gorilla keepers and close.
Gorillas are social animals, say zoo officials, so Leo's body was kept overnight at the gorilla compound so his family and keepers could be with him.
The median life expectancy for a male gorilla is 32, but gorillas in zoos can live into their 40s and 50s.
Woodland Park Zoo's animal health team will perform an animal autopsy to determine the cause of death, which could take several weeks.
