Schorsch, one of the gorillas at Loro Parque, dies aged 50

Loro Parque have issued a sad statement informing that one of their longest residents at the Tenerife zoo died yesterday, Wednesday. Schorsch one of the park's gorillas celebrated his 50^th birthday in March, which is a huge milestone as the life expectancy for these mammals is 37 years. The statement says:

“From us all in the Loro Parque family, we are deeply saddened by the death of our beloved gorilla Schorsch. Schorsch turned 50 in March and was the oldest gorilla in the group that lives in Loro Parque, having been with us for more than 27 years.”

“He had a great character and even though he became a bit grumpy with age, he won the affection and sympathy of his keepers, leaving a big mark on our zoo family.”

“He joined us from the Nuremberg Zoo, in 1994, and was the son of Fritz, one of the oldest gorillas in Europe. Due to his advanced age, Schorsch had lost visual acuity, but this did not prevent him from continuing to locate his environmental enrichment through touch.”

“From the point of view of animal welfare, it is quite a milestone that Schorsch has reached half a century since the average life expectancy for this species in the wild is about 37 years.”

“In addition, the western lowland gorilla is critically endangered and its populations are in decline due to, among other reasons, poaching and diseases such as the Ebola virus.”

“Fortunately, the population managed in a coordinated manner by European zoos has a good number of specimens, of which three quarters have been born under human care.”

“Our bachelor group is a key player in this European captive breeding program as it allows for more genetic exchange and helps manage family groups in other zoos.”