The Dallas Zoo today announced the passing of its oldest great ape, Timbo. A Western lowland gorilla, Timbo, 49, was the eighth oldest in the country.
She passed away Tuesday after failing to recover from anesthesia administered during some dental work and a follow-up procedure to cataract surgery, zoo officials announced.
Timbo received nationwide attention two years ago for her cataract surgery, which was performed by an ophthalmologist at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
Her death leaves the Dallas Zoo with three male gorillas -- Juba, age 9; B’wenzi, 8 and Patrick 20.
Zoo officials have invited anyone wishing to offer condolences for Timbo or her keepers to leave notes at the zoo’s main administration building.
Another one of the Dallas Zoo’s longtime residents, a Sumatran tiger named Paul, died earlier this year after failing to recover from the anesthesia during a routine medical procedure.
