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Jersey Zoo says final goodbye to George the Gibbon

Staff at Jersey Zoo are very sad to announce that George, the much loved white - handed gibbon, was put to sleep on Tuesday 29th August 2018.

George had been extremely unwell for several days, becoming increasingly lethargic and losing his appetite.

Despite expert care from the zoo veterinary team and close monitoring by keepers he sadly didn’t respond to treatment and his health declined rapidly.  Given his advanced age and other underlying health issues his prognosis was poor and it was decided that euthanasia was the best course of action.

Commenting on the death of George, Head of Mammals at Jersey Zoo Dom Wormell said: “He was a truly wonderful, larger than life character, whose extraordinary acrobatics on the ropes were a sight to behold. He was a great favourite with staff, visitors and volunteers who will be very sad to see him go and we will all miss the beautiful chorus of song that would echo around the zoo as the pair of them flew spectacularly through the air.”

George spent his early years at Chipperfield Circus and while his exact age is not known it is estimated that he was born in 1980 and was 38 years old at the time of his death. In 1983 the circus donated George to Fota Zoo in 1983 where he spent five years before moving to Dublin Zoo.  George and his partner Hazel came to Jersey Zoo from Twycross Zoo in 1997.  The pair had one son shortly after moving to Jersey and George has three surviving grandsons living in Drusillas.