Endangered gorilla who ‘stole hearts’ dies as illness spreads in apes at Florida zoo
An endangered gorilla who “stole hearts” died as an illness spreads among apes at a Florida zoo.
“Bulera was a sweet, loving mother and grandmother, but she also gave the kids room to be independent while she enjoyed some alone time,” a Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens spokesperson told McClatchy News in an Aug. 23 email. “Her maternal spirit will be missed greatly by her caretakers and troop mates.”
Bulera died unexpectedly from shigella, a “highly contagious” bacteria that can lead to shigellosis. The main symptoms of the digestive disease include “diarrhea, vomiting, cramps and dehydration,” according to the zoo.
Now, most of the wildlife park’s other apes have had symptoms and have been separated from the healthy ones. The zoo in a Facebook post said its workers are sanitizing and wearing protective gear to help curb the spread.
“Staff have even made last-minute trips to grab items like Pedialyte, Gatorade, popsicles and probiotics to keep them hydrated and protect their gut biome,” the zoo wrote.
Bulera died from her shigella infection at age 35. She was born in 1989 at Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago and had an injury that required she be hand-reared.
The beloved gorilla moved to Jacksonville in 2009 and was a mother of two. She also stepped in when another baby gorilla needed help, according to a past social media post.
“Bulera stole hearts in 2019 when she became the foster mother to Gandai, an infant whose biological mother couldn’t raise her,” the zoo wrote. “She protected and nurtured Gandai.”
Bulera was a western lowland gorilla, a species native to the Congo Basin of Central Africa. The species is “critically endangered” as disease and poaching cause populations to dwindle, according to the World Wildlife Fund and the Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute.
“Losing an animal is never easy, and Bulera’s loss is deeply felt,” the zoo wrote. “We ask for your thoughts, love and support during this difficult time.”
As the Jacksonville Zoo cares for its sick apes, they are spending time indoors. How the animals got the disease may remain a mystery.
“It’s possible that an ape was an asymptomatic chronic carrier of the bacteria and began to shed it for unknown reasons,” the wildlife park wrote on its website. “It’s also possible that the bacteria came from an asymptomatic staff member, but this is highly unlikely. Also unlikely is the possibility that the bacteria were introduced through food in an ape’s regular meal.”
This story was originally published August 23, 2024 at 10:19 AM with the headline "Endangered gorilla who ‘stole hearts’ dies as illness spreads in apes at Florida zoo."
