Sadness as Noddy the chimp dies at 50

ONE of the very first chimpanzees at Twycross Zoo has died.

Noddy, pictured, who had lived at the zoo since 1973, died overnight on Thursday after keepers had noticed she had become quiet in her habitat at the Chimpanzee Eden section of the tourist attraction.

She was 50 years old.

In a statement, Twycross Zoo confirmed that Noddy had not appeared unwell, and investigations into how she died were now underway.

“It is with great sadness to let you know that one of our elderly female chimpanzees, Noddy, passed away peacefully overnight,” the statement said.

“Our veterinary experts are now undertaking a full post mortem (examination) to understand more.”

Born in 1971, Noddy lived far longer than chimpanzees in the wild tend to, with the average lifespan standing at 35 years.

An integral part of the European breeding programme, Noddy has three surviving offspring, all of whom live at Twycross Zoo. Her eldest, William is 39 years old, with Flynn being 35 and the youngest being Jomar, aged 30.

One of the very first chimps to be taken in by Twycross, a zoo spokesman added that Noddy “will be missed dearly by our staff and visitors”.

Her death comes just two weeks after the zoo had made the “heartbreaking” decision to euthanise Kibriah, a Bornean orangutan, at the age of 44.

She was unwell and had been under specialist veterinary care but, given her advanced age and recent health issues, “the difficult decision to euthanise her was made,” said te zoo.