One of world's oldest gorillas dies at San Diego Safari Park
One of the world's oldest gorillas has died at San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
The park says Vila, who turned 60 in October, died Thursday surrounded by members of her family troop.
Authorities say she was the matriarch of five generations of gorillas and during her life served as a surrogate mother for several western lowland gorillas.
Gorillas typically live to be 35 or 40. They are considered critically endangered because of disease, hunting, war and habitat loss.
Vila had arthritis and other health conditions related to her age and had been under veterinary care.
She was born in the African Congo in 1957. She came to the zoo in 1959 and was moved to Safari Park in 1975.
Let us know if there is a problem with our content
Use this form if you have come across a typo, inaccuracy or would like to send an edit request for the content on this page.
For general inquiries, please use our contact form.
For general feedback, use the public comments section below (please adhere to guidelines).
Thank you for taking time to provide your feedback to the editors
Your feedback is important to us. However, we do not guarantee individual replies due to the high volume of messages.
Donate and enjoy an ad-free experience
We keep our content available to everyone.
Consider supporting Science X's mission by getting a premium account.
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process
and policies.
Editors
have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:
Phys.org™ is a leading web-based science, research and technology news service which covers a full range of topics.
Phys.org is a part of Science X network.
With a global reach of over 10 million monthly readers and featuring dedicated websites for science (Phys.org),
technology (Tech Xplore) and medical research (Medical Xpress),
the Science X network is one of the largest online communities for science-minded people.