This week, a zoo in Miami euthanized the grandmother of Harambe, the silverback gorilla whose death galvanized the internet this past spring and summer.
Josephine had been at Zoo Miami for nearly 33 years, after she was brought over from Africa in 1983 at the age of 16.
The 49-year-old suffered from a myriad number of health problems stemming from her old age, and on Wednesday morning, after she was unable to reach her morning treat, zookeepers made the decision to put her down.
With very heavy hearts we announce the loss of our matriarch gorilla, Josephine, as well as chimpanzee, Binti. https://t.co/jj4JKCErve pic.twitter.com/FSm1D0iacJ
— Zoo Miami (@zoomiami) January 18, 2017
In 1984, Josephine sired a male, Moja. Moja was moved to a zoo in Texas, where he gave birth to several sons, one of which, in 2016, would be killed by zookeepers in Cincinnati after a child fell into his enclosure.
You may remember his name.
H/T Miami Herald
