Mourning the Loss of Elderly Orangutan Kelly

On Monday morning, the Houston Zoo said goodbye to 44-year-old orangutan, Kelly, after she had been ill for several weeks. Kelly’s condition progressed to the point where medication could no longer provide enough relief or comfort, and the Zoo’s veterinary and primate care teams made the difficult decision to euthanize her.

Kelly was born Sept. 22, 1980, at San Diego Zoo. She came to Houston Zoo in 1994 and lived in Wortham World of Primates with many different orangutans during her 44 years. Kelly was well-loved by the animal care team and will be remembered for being a smart and observant orangutan. She had incredible patience and was very good at reading both people and orangutans. Kelly knew what she wanted and was willing to wait for the perfect opportunity to try to get it. Kelly fished for items she was not supposed to have but was quick to trade them back to keepers for her favorite foods.

She loved enrichment and picked up new behaviors during training very quickly. She loved threading blankets, fire hoses, paper, straw or anything she could find to decorate her home. She was very playful with keepers and other orangutans. She was not a fan of early mornings and would pull a blanket over her head or make a fort of boxes to hide behind to get just a few more minutes of sleep.

Kelly will be missed by the entire Zoo family.