Topeka Zoo Gorilla Dies After Tests Reveal Ovarian Cancer

TOPEKA, KS — An old gorilla at the Topeka Zoo who underwent surgery for constipation died after tests showed she had late-stage ovarian cancer that had spread to other parts of her body.

Four days after undergoing surgery, 49-year-old lowland gorilla Tiffany died Sunday. The zoo said in a statement that she failed to improve after her surgery Wednesday to clear "a significant amount of stool" from her colon. Scans on Sunday revealed two abdominal masses later identified as tumors linked to stage-four ovarian cancer.

During a surgery later Sunday, the zoo said, "it became evident that the cancer had metastasized to the abdominal wall."

Surgeons and veterinarians paused that procedure and decided not to wake her after surgery. The gorilla died a short time later, "surrounded by the team of people that cared for her," the zoo said. (For more information on the Topeka Zoo and other Kansas stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

"Even if all the cancer affected tissue could have been removed, we just could not see an appropriate way to administer a regimen of chemotherapy to treat the cancer," said Brendan Wiley, the zoo's director.

Tiffany was born in July 1968 at the Kansas City Zoo and has spent much of her time since then at the Topeka Zoo, aside from four years she lived at the Buffalo Zoo in New York in the 1980s.

"She was a big part of the persona of our zoo," Wiley said of Tiffany, eulogizing her as a lover of board books, stuffed animals and her enjoyment "watching kids, and kids loved to watch her."

"It seemed like everyone knew who Tiffany was," Wiley said.

By JIM SUHR, Associated Press

Photo credit: Topeka Zoo Facebook page