Melbourne Zoo gorilla dies of heart attack

Staff at the Melbourne Zoo are mourning the death of silverback gorilla Rigo, a much-loved member of the Zoo family.

Yesterday morning (18th July) Rigo died of what appears to be a heart attack after he collapsed suddenly and was unresponsive to resuscitation.

Rigo, aged 43, who had lived at Melbourne Zoo for four decades, came to the zoo from Holland as a three-year-old in 1973.

His future mate Yuska arrived at the same time and in 1984, the pair made history when they became the parents of Mzuri, the first gorilla ever born in Australia.

Announcing Rigo's death, Zoo Director Kevin Tanner stated "Rigo has been a much-loved member of the zoo family for 40 years, almost a third of the zoo's entire history."

Silverback western lowland gorillas have an expected life expectancy of about 35 years.

Zoos Victoria has opened a tribute page to Rigo on its website. The page can be viewed at www.zoo.org.au/news/sad-farewell-to-rigo 

19th July 2013 - MELBOURNE ZOO GORILLA DIES OF HEART ATTACK