PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Zoo has announced the sudden death of a beloved gorilla.
Harry the western lowland gorilla, a longtime member of the zoo, died on Tuesday at the age of 33.
Zoo staff said he died from a sudden cardiac event.
He had been receiving treatment for cardiac disease since 2022. The Zoo had been working with the Great Ape Project, a group of specialists who treat heart disease since then.
Gorillas, whose hearts are similar to those of humans, are known to be susceptible to heart disease.
Harry was born on June 14, 1991, and came to Pittsburgh from the Cincinnati Zoo on Oct. 30, 1992.
He was known as the leader of his troop of six and was the oldest male in the group.
“Harry was amazing with all of the gorilla ‘kids’ and was vigilant and protective with them. He was an absolutely special boy and had the best laugh of all our gorillas,” said Curator of Mammals Kelsey Forbes.
The critically endangered western lowland gorillas are native to the rainforests of Africa’s Congo Basin and have a median life expectancy of 32 years, the Zoo said.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
©2025 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/XCUXZC2XYZHCRGNNGKFEX6U3LQ.png)
