Ricky the chimp, zoo’s oldest resident, dies

THE OLDEST resident of Edinburgh Zoo has died at the age of 50.

Ricky the chimpanzee had been losing weight and looking “out of sorts” before it was realised he had a badly diseased heart. He died on Monday.

His keepers at the zoo paid tribute to him yesterday and said he will be dearly missed.

Dee Masters, Budongo Trail team leader, said: “Ricky was one of the most loved animals at Edinburgh Zoo and a really important member of our chimpanzee group in Budongo Trail.

“All the primate keepers here at Edinburgh Zoo had a soft spot for Ricky and, most importantly, he was an integral member of our chimpanzee group. He had so much character and was one of the most caring and peaceful of our chimpanzees.”

Other chimpanzees in the group were said to have sensed that something was wrong with Ricky because they began to respond differently to him. The zoo’s veterinary team carried out an X-ray which showed his heart was in poor condition.

Simon Girling, head of veterinary services at Edinburgh Zoo, said: “Ricky’s keepers advised that he was generally quite out of sorts We felt that Ricky had around only two weeks left at best but, as it turned out, he passed away later the same afternoon.”