Necropsy Reveals Cause of Endangered Chimp's Death

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A chimpanzee that died suddenly at the Detroit Zoo last month had heart disease, the zoo said in a statement Monday.

A necropsy, or an autopsy performed on animals, confirmed the cause of death of the 28-year-old chimpanzee, Akita.

“As is the case with humans, heart disease is unfortunately very common in great apes,” Jennie Miller, communications manager for the zoo, said in a statement to Patch.com. “Our animal health experts work very closely with the Great Ape Heart Project, and monitoring for heart disease has been an important part of our preventative medicine program.”

• Related: Endangered Chimp Dies Suddenly at Detroit Zoo

The zoo said all of the adults in its troop of 11 chimpanzees, including Akita before her Aug. 18 death, routinely have ultrasound heart examinations.

Miller said Akita — regarded as “a lovely, intelligent being and wonderful mother” — died suddenly and that the zoo staff continues to grieve.

“We are monitoring her little ones, Ajua, 7, and Akira, 4, and have found them to be doing well and socializing normally with the other chimpanzees,” Miller said.

Based at Zoo Atlanta, the Great Ape Heart Project addresses a critical need within the zoo community to investigate and understand cardiovascular disease in great apes, according to its website. The project maintains a centralized database to analyze cardiac data, generate reports, and coordinate cardiac-related research activities, while vastly improving communication among zoos, research facilities and sanctuaries where apes are housed. The data collected by GAHP is intended by individual animals, as well as enhance a body of knowledge that will benefit zoos internationally.

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