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Charles, the western lowland silverback gorilla who has been at the Toronto Zoo since it opened in 1974, has died.

On Wednesday, days after the zoo announced the 52-year-old “icon” was suffering from significant health issues, officials said Charles died Tuesday afternoon “of natural causes after experiencing significant health issues “.

“I am very proud of the work our team did to make him feel comfortable during his final days with us,” CEO Dolf DeJong said in a statement. “After some initial signs of improvement yesterday morning, Charles’ condition took a sudden turn late in the day and he died surrounded by those who cared deeply for him.

“Charles was more than an icon, he was a member of our zoo family and a powerful ambassador for his species, and our flags will fly at half-mast to commemorate his life.”

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Charles was an orphan when he arrived at the zoo in Gabon, Africa. He fathered 11 descendants and was the grandfather of six children. The zoo noted that even in his later years, “he continued to be vigilant in protecting them and maintaining order within the troop.”

Zoo staff noticed late last week that “Charles was not his usual self. He was calm, had a reduced appetite, moved more slowly than usual, and was breathing a little faster and harder. The team made a presumptive diagnosis of heart failure and he began taking heart medication.

The 195 kilo Charles recovered over the weekend with a return of appetite and better interaction with staff.

“Yesterday morning, Charles was bright and sitting up eating, but his condition deteriorated suddenly and rapidly in the afternoon,” the zoo said, adding that a “full necropsy is underway and has already confirmed significant changes in his heart.

The zoo notes that critically endangered western lowland gorillas typically live between 30 and 40 years and that “the species continues to decline at an annual rate of 2.7 percent, primarily due to poaching for bushmeat, disease and habitat loss and degradation. »

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