The Detroit Zoo is mourning after a beloved chimpanzee died this week, officials said Thursday.
Abby, who called the Oakland County site home for nearly four decades, was euthanized due to declining health related to kidney failure, officials said.
“The decision was made with deep love and respect for her quality of life,” the zoo said in a statement.
Officials said the zoo’s veterinary and animal care teams worked closely to keep Abby comfortable until her death.
Abby’s life
She was 42 and “had lived beyond the median life expectancy for a female chimpanzee,” according to the zoo.
Abby stole hearts — and the occasional toy — since arriving at the zoo in 1988, officials said. “She was famously clever, often ‘finding’ items in her habitat that didn’t belong and bringing them to her care team in hopes of trading for a treat. Her wit and her unmistakable presence made this place brighter.”
She had a favorite perch in the habitat’s root tree where she watched over the yard like the matriarch she was, the zoo said.
Abby had two daughters, Chiana and Jane, and was best friends with Trixi, whom she waited for each morning before greeting the rest of the troop as they joined her outside, according to the zoo.
“To everyone who knew Abby — guests, volunteers, and especially our primates team — thank you for loving her as much as we did,” officials said in a statement. “We will miss you, Abby.”
Other zoo losses
Her death is the latest of zoo residents.
In February, a 3-month-old female giraffe calf named Okidi was euthanized after a spinal injury.
In November, Tula, a 6-year-old Bactrian camel that suffered from a degenerative ligament condition, passed away.
Another camel, Rusty, who called the zoo home for 16 years, died in April 2025.
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@CharlesERamirez
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Abby, Detroit Zoo’s ‘famously clever’ chimpanzee, dies at 42
Reporting by Charles E. Ramirez, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
