World's Second Oldest Female Orangutan Dies at Brookfield Zoo

Maggie lived to be nearly 55 years old, according to the Chicago Zoological Society

The world's second-oldest female orangutan, who lived at Brookfield Zoo, has died, according to the Chicago Zoological Society.

Maggie, a 55-year-old Bornean orangutan, was Euthanized Friday "a gradual decline in her health, as degenerative changes associated with her advanced age began to severely impact her quality of life," Brookfield Zoo said in a statement posted on Facebook.

The Zoological Society initially identified her as the oldest, but later said she was the second-oldest known orangutan in the world. 

She suffered from arthritis, heart disease, hypothyroidism, and round cell sarcoma, according to Brookfield Zoo's veterinary staff.

Born at San Diego Zoo in 1961, she was described as curious, intelligent, and playful by the primate staff who cared for her. Maggie had four offsprings while there before being transfered to Brookfield Zoo in 1995, where she served as a surrogate mother to two infants. The youngest, Kecil, is now 2 1/2 years old.

"Maggie will be truly missed," Brookfield's Animal Programs Department said of their "beloved" orangutan.

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