SAN FRANCISCO — The oldest male chimpanzee living in an accredited North American zoo died Saturday at the San Francisco Zoo & Gardens.
He was 63.
The chimpanzee, named Cobby, had been a hand-reared performing chimpanzee before he was brought to the San Francisco zoo in the 1960s.
Although the chimpanzee’s cause of death had not been determined, the animal had recently been ill and zoo officials believe old age was a factor.
The zoo said the average life expectancy of chimpanzees living in the wild is 33 years, while it is between 50 and 60 years under human care.
