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Jasper The Orangutan Dies At Metrozoo

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Aug 31, 2007 1:04 pm US/Eastern

Jasper The Orangutan Dies At Metrozoo

Jasper, 34, Died During Physical Exam

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SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE (CBS4) ― The staff at Miami's Metrozoo is mourning the loss of a senior male orangutan named Jasper.

A news release states, "It is with great sadness that we report the death of "Jasper," a 34 year old male Orangutan.
The 368 lb. great ape died under anesthesia during a procedure yesterday afternoon at Metrozoo's animal hospital. The procedure was an extensive physical exam planned as a general "check-up" that includes blood tests, X-rays, and other measures designed to screen for a variety of health concerns commonly associated with primates in general and great apes in particular."

According to zoo officials, Jasper showed signs of respiratory distress while under anesthesia. It quickly led to full arrest and despite more than an hour of emergency efforts by veterinary staff members to revive him, he was pronounced dead at 12:15 p.m.

"Though general anesthesia is always extremely risky when immobilizing wildlife and may have been a catalyst to the events that led to Jasper's death, an exact cause of death will not be determined until tests being done on a variety of tissues and organs are completed," stated the news release.

Preliminary results of a necropsy completed Thursday night indicate the presence of underlying heart disease as well as pulmonary edema which could be contributing factors.

Jasper was one of the stars of Metrozoo and was featured in television commercials promoting the grand opening of the park in 1980.

He was born on March 12, 1973 at the Philadelphia zoo and came to Metrozoo in June of 1980.

During his time at Metrozoo, he fathered a male offspring named Berani who was born in February of 1993 and eventually went to the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans where he was featured as a zoo survivor after Hurricane Katrina.

(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

© MMIX, CBS Television Stations Inc. All Rights Reserved.