Atlanta Zoo's sign language orangutan, Chantek, dies at 39

[Judi Lynn]

By Ed Adamczyk Contact the Author | Aug. 8, 2017 at 9:02 AM





Aug. 8 (UPI) -- Chantek -- one of the first orangutans in the world to learn sign language, and who used it to communicate with zookeepers -- has died at the age of 39, officials announced.

Among the oldest orangutans in North American zoos, Chantek had been receiving treatment for progressive heart disease -- a common cause of death for great apes in captivity, the zoo said Monday.

"Chantek will be deeply missed by his family here at Zoo Atlanta. He had such a unique and engaging personality and special ways of relating to and communicating with those who knew him best," Vice President of Animal Divisions Hayley Murphy said in a statement from the zoo.

Before moving to Atlanta, Chantek lived with an anthropologist in Tennessee for about nine years, where he learned skills like cleaning his room and memorizing a route from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga to a fast-food restaurant.

More:
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[Duppers]

1. "Animals are persons of the non-human kind."

How true.

Chantek