Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium is saddened to announce that Timu, a 28-year-old female western lowland gorilla, passed away on Thursday, January 4.
The animal health and animal care teams performed several diagnostic tests last week, including a CT scan, to discover that Timu was in acute kidney failure. As Timu’s health continued to rapidly deteriorate during the week, the Zoo’s veterinarians performed multiple medical procedures and treatments, but she passed away while recovering from anesthesia after one of the procedures.
A necropsy confirmed that advanced kidney disease was the cause of Timu’s clinical signs, although it will take several weeks for all test results to be finalized. Staff are monitoring the rest of the gorilla troops closely, but all of the gorillas appear healthy at this time.
Timu’s birth was a celebrated scientific milestone for the conservation of her species. She was the first, and to this day, remains the only gorilla conceived by invitro fertilization (IVF) and deemed “the world’s first test tube gorilla.” Born prematurely on October 9, 1995, at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, Timu was conceived using eggs collected from a female gorilla in Cincinnati named Rosie and frozen sperm from a male gorilla.
Timu came to Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium in 1996 and was a key member of the Zoo’s gorilla social group. She was beloved by the Omaha community and her Zoo caretakers. “Timu was a gentle girl with soulful eyes,” said Christine Dupre’, the Zoo’s supervisor of great apes. “She taught us the importance of patience and how relationship building strengthens the bond between keepers and the animals under their care.”
“Timu was an essential part of our gorilla social group,” added Dan Cassidy, the Zoo’s vice president of animal management. “Timu had a relationship with her daughter, Bambio, and subsequently, her granddaughter, Zuri. Timu was key to a successful, multi-generational gorilla family. Seeing two gorilla mothers with their offspring, along with their father gave us incredible insights into the importance of social family relationships to the well-being of gorillas everywhere.”
Timu successfully gave birth to three offspring, two of which still reside in Omaha: Bambio and K’gosi, along with Timu’s granddaughter Zuri. Her other offspring, Hadari, resides at another Zoo, per the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Western Lowland Gorilla Species Survival Plan.
Upon her passing, the rest of the gorilla family was able to visit Timu’s body, as science suggests that gorillas experience grieving behavior.
Timu will be remembered by all who knew and loved her. Her legacy lives on in her gorilla family, her caretakers, the Omaha community and in the impact she had on conservation science.
