Wellington Zoo's 35-year-old chimpanzee dies

Much-loved Wellington Zoo chimpanzee Marty is being remembered by people who visited and cared for him over his 35 years.

The zoo said he collapsed suddenly on Thursday morning, becoming unresponsive. Staff were able to confirm he had died, shortly after.

In a Facebook post, the zoo said there were no obvious signs of injury or trauma, and they would be conducting a necropsy to confirm the cause of death.

Marty was born at Wellington Zoo almost 35 years ago.

He took over as the group alpha about 2005, until another chimp, Alexis, became alpha in 2017.

Marty had a daughter Keza, and the second-youngest chimpanzee in the group, Kitwe, was his grandson.

“The Wellington Zoo whānau are all deeply saddened by this loss,” staff said in a post on social media.

They encouraged others to share their experiences and pictures of Marty from over the years, with some former staff and volunteers recalling fond memories.

A former staff member said Marty was “an entertaining youngster and matured into a fine looking adult”.

They said they were happy to see him take top rank in the troop, and impressed Marty held the position of alpha for so long.

Another former staff member said he remembered when Marty was born.

Former and current volunteers and zoo crew said they also remembered Marty, and his cheeky personality.

Others said they remembered the chimp from recent visits.

The zoo’s troop recently welcomed a new baby, to mum Sally.

The new resident arrived in November, and was celebrated by the zoo, given chimpanzees’ endangered status.

Zoo staff said chimpanzee troops were highly complex, so they would be monitoring other members to see how they adjusted to this change.