Cobby the Chimpanzee, Oldest Male in Captivity, Has Died at Age 63 at the San Francisco Zoo
"He touched so many lives, and people have so many memories of him. He is irreplaceable, and our hearts are broken. We will all miss seeing his handsome grey beard watching over us from the top platform of the yard.”
A beloved chimpanzee named Cobby, known as the oldest male chimp in captivity, died on Saturday at age 63. Cobby spent his final days at the San Francisco Zoo surrounded by his family, according to zoo officials.
The senior chimp was a respected figure at the zoo and had brought all other chimps together, zoo officials said.
Before he came to the San Francisco zoo in the 1960's, Cobby was human-reared as a performing chimpanzee, CBS News reported.
Tanya M. Peterson, executive director of the San Francisco Zoological Society, described Cobby as a charismatic and compassionate leader who was patient and resilient.
"He touched so many lives, and people have so many memories of him," she said. "He is irreplaceable, and our hearts are broken. We will all miss seeing his handsome grey beard watching over us from the top platform of the yard."
Cobby's cause of death has not yet been determined; however, zoo officials said he was reported to have been recently ill, and old age may have been a factor, zoo officials said.
Cobby leaves behind Minnie and Maggie, his companions for more than 42 years. His other companion, Talullah, passed away in 2013, CBS San Francisco reported.
He will be missed by the visitors and staffers who cared for him. One of the things they will miss the most about their friend Cobby was the way he’d say goodnight to them with a soft pant-hoot, CBS SF reported.