The mate of a gorilla who died at the Dublin Zoo last week has been seen grieving.
Lena, who was inseparable from her mate, Harry---who died Sunday morning at the Dublin Zoo---has been “remarkably quiet.” The two spent 21 years together, reported the Irish Mirror.
Harry was the gorilla troop leader. Other female gorillas were despondent over Harry’s death.
It’s expected that the primates will anoint a new leader in the near future.
“After a short illness, Harry, the Western lowland gorilla at Dublin Zoo, died yesterday morning 29th May,” the zoo said. “Harry, the ’silverback', was the leader of Dublin Zoo’s gorilla troop. Harry was 29 years old and during his time at the Zoo he fathered 6 offspring.”
The zoo added: “Harry was a very gentle and calm gorilla and he will be greatly missed by everyone at Dublin Zoo. The exact reason for Harry’s death is still unknown and Dublin Zoo is awaiting the final results of a postmortem.”
Harry’s death came just one day after the shooting death of Harambe, a 17-year-old gorilla, at the Cincinnati Zoo. A small child had gotten into his enclosure, prompting the zoo’s dangerous-animals response team to use lethal force to protect the child.
