Betty, the chimpanzee that had been at the Dublin Zoo for the longest and the oldest living chimp under human care, passed away last week at the age of 62. She was one of the zoo’s most cherished and well-known inmates.
A zoo blog article claims that Betty had age-related ailments that were impairing her quality of life, and the tough choice to end her life was made to spare her from suffering in the future.
Although it is heartbreaking to lose Betty, she enjoyed a lengthy life that exceeded the average lifespan of a chimpanzee in captivity. According to the zoo, she was also the oldest chimpanzee in human care at the time of her death.
Team leader Helen Clarke Bennett of Dublin Zoo, who has worked as a zookeeper since 1987 and has known Betty for many years, paid tribute to her.
In 1964, a West African chimpanzee named Betty made her way to Dublin. Bennett notes that Betty participated in archaic practices like “Chimp Tea Parties” and that the Dublin Zoo continued to operate in the “style of the early Victorian era zoos” throughout that period.
Betty saw major advancements in zoo standards throughout her decades-long confinement. For example, in the 1990s, the chimp habitat was transformed from a metal-barred concrete “pit” to an island with trees.
Bennett claimed to have known Betty since the zoo’s early years since Michael Clarke, Betty’s father, was looking after her at the time. The chimp was “always strong-minded,” according to him, and would not give up on her goals.
After Wendy moved in 1964, Betty’s best friend, Wendy, became an integral part of her life for the majority of it. One of the cutest pairs in the zoo was formed by the two monkeys.
“Wendy had a cheeky side, but Betty could hold her accountable!” Bennett penned the piece. “When Wendy was obstinately refusing to go outside while the habitat was being cleaned, Betty putting her arm around her to encourage her to go outside with the rest of the troop will always be one of my favorite pictures.”
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Betty and Wendy celebrated their 50th birthdays together in 2012 at the zoo. The zoo workers believed that Betty, who was devastated by Wendy’s death in 2014, wouldn’t be far behind.
She even managed to live on for a further ten years, rising to the rank of dominating female chimpanzee and earning the title of longest-serving inhabitant of the zoo.
Bennett stated that Betty experienced reduced kidney function and chronic arthritis in her latter years, which affected her weight and mobility. She was also under continuous wellness management.
They had to make the tough but humane decision to end the beloved chimp’s life after all medicinal and surgical alternatives had been tried. Even though Betty is no longer with us, she will always be cherished as a unique original and a zoogoer’s favorite for many decades to come.
“Although I am really saddened to bid farewell to a friend I have known since I was a young child, I am sure that Betty’s euthanasia was the right choice, ensuring that she didn’t suffer needlessly and preserving her dignity to the very end. That gives me a great deal of comfort,” Bennett wrote.
“Everyone here at Dublin Zoo as well as the many generations of visitors who were fortunate enough to know her will miss Betty terribly; there will never be another like her.”
Peace be with you, Betty. You lived a very long life, and it’s obvious that your loved ones and caregivers cherished you.
15 Pics That Prove Genes Can Be Very Powerful
We all have about 22,000 genes and sometimes we share enough genes with our family to be an almost identical copy of them. Although there may be 50 years between the 2 photos, their faces look the same thanks to the magic of these genes. There are some people who are carbon copies of their relatives, confirmed by their photos that simply blow us away.
Bright Side would like to share with you just how cool our genes can be with some exceptional photos we found.
1. “My mom and sister, both at age 6”
2. “My mom (left) age 4 in 1971. Me (right) age 4 in 2001. I see why people say we look alike.”
3. Grandmother 1941 and granddaughter 1999, same genes
4. “Me, 1992. Mom, 1954.”
5. “Here’s me and my fraternal twin.”
6. “Me on the left (circa ’90s, Canada) and my grand-dad (circa ’40s, Ireland).”
7. “My old man and me at the same age, 35 years apart.”
8. “Me in 1971 and my son in 1994”
9. “My mother at age 21 (L) and me at age 27.”
10. “My father, age 24 in 1951. And 24-year-old me.”
11. “I always knew that my mom and sister looked alike, but seeing them side by side is uncanny.”
12. “My brother (2016) and my grandfather (1948)”
13. “I’ve been told a lot that I look like my Finnish grandma.”
14. “My dad 1958… Me 1988.”
15. “Side-by-side comparison of my identical twin and me.”
Who do you look most like in your family? Share a photo of someone you look like so that we can compare!
Preview photo credit mrobry / Pikabu
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