One of the world’s oldest gorillas dies at California zoo 20 years past life expectancy

One of the oldest male gorillas who was living at a US zoo has died at the age of 52. 

The gorilla named Winston lived roughly 20 years beyond his life expectancy at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in California. 

The park recently announced his passing on July 13 after noting that the gorilla was receiving “significant medical treatments for several age-related conditions.”

Some of the conditions Winston was struggling with included heart disease, degenerative joint disease and kidney disease. 

The gorilla was ultimately euthanized after what the park said was “careful consideration stemming from furthering complications from his worsening conditions.”

Care specialists at the San Diego Safari Park described Winston as “the best of us,” staff told Fox News Digital in an email.

Winston was a western lowland gorilla who was born in the wild before being taken in by a private owner in England, TMX reported. 

He arrived at the San Diego Zoo in 1984 and has since been known as a “patient, kind and compassionate troop leader,” according to TMX. 

Winston was also recognized as one of the first known great apes to be treated for COVID-19 in 2021, when veterinarians also discovered his heart disease. 

The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance said Winston “will be fondly remembered by all who had the privilege of knowing him,” according to a press release. 

“San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance encourages everyone to share their condolences and support for Winston’s dedicated wildlife care and health team, staff, volunteers, Alliance members and guests, who are deeply affected by this loss,” the release said.

Western lowland gorillas typically weigh up to 440 pounds, can stand up to 5-and-a-half feet tall and are considered critically endangered, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

The animals are typically known to live in dense and remote rainforests in Africa, but most of the population exists in “isolated swamps and the remote swampy forests of the Republic of Congo.”

“In the wild, gorillas live for 30 or 40 years. In human care, gorillas may live into their 50s,” Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute reported.

In April, the world’s oldest gorilla, Fatou, celebrated her 67th birthday in Germany, according to Guinness World Records.