The oldest lowland gorilla kept in captivity has sadly passed away in a US zoo, at the age of 63.
Trudy, which was born in the wild, had been a resident at the Little Rock Zoo in Arkansas for over 30 years. Her breed usually lives up to 40 years in a natural environment and about 50 in captivity. Trudy proved to be a survivor however, and far outlived any other known lowland gorilla kept in a zoo.
Lowland gorillas, though not deemed to be an endangered species, have seen their numbers steadily decline by about 60% over the last three decades due to disease and poaching.
