Gorilla on loan to Atlanta zoo dies

<p>A silverback gorilla on loan to Zoo Atlanta for a breeding program has died before he was able to sire any offspring.</p><p>The gorilla, named Caesar, was found dead in his sleeping quarters Tuesday by staff veterinarians.</p><p>Five minutes before, zookeepers had noted the popular and outgoing gorilla was "alert and resting" while recuperating from a stomach ailment, said Helen Bioty, spokeswoman for Zoo Atlanta.</p><p>Caesar, who would have turned 27 on June 1, was to be moved to the Yerkes Primate Research Center at Emery University in Atlanta for a necropsy to determine the cause of death. Captive gorillas generally live into their late 30s or early 40s.</p><p>Caesar, who earned his name from his delivery by Caesarean section, was born at the Los Angeles Zoo. Last August, the 525-pound gorilla was shipped to Atlanta on a FedEx plane in hopes he would breed with other silverbacks there.</p><p>"I'm devastated," said Jennie McNary, the Los Angeles Zoo's curator of mammals. "It's totally unexpected and we were all hoping for so much. ... This was going to be his opportunity to be a breeding silverback male and have a family of his own."</p><p>Zoo Atlanta started introducing Caesar to female gorillas several weeks ago. Caesar had yet to breed, officials said. A week ago, he developed diarrhea and was treated by veterinarians while being kept apart from his female companions.</p><p>The Los Angeles Zoo did not expect any financial compensation from Zoo Atlanta, McNary said.</p><p>"In the big scheme of things, ownership isn't an issue," she said. "We're just trying to ensure survival of the species."</p>

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