THE BRONX, N.Y. (PIX11) — The Bronx Zoo has lost a beloved member of its animal kingdom.
Ntondo, a Western Lowland Gorilla who had called the Bronx home for over a decade, died on Sunday, the zoo announced. He was 32.
The zoo said preliminary findings indicate that Ntondo died of an “acute cardiac event.”
Ntondo had become very popular with television audiences and zoo visitors after being featured in Animal Planet’s 2017 docuseries, “THE ZOO.” His story was told after diagnostic tests confirmed Ntondo had glaucoma and left him blind.
The feature followed the Bronx Zoo animal keeper and veterinary teams that cared for Ntondo, as well as how he learned to maintain his role as a silverback to a group of females in the Bronx Zoo’s Congo Gorilla Forest.
“Because of his blindness, Ntondo was uniquely bonded to the animal care staff. He was an amazing animal and will be missed by all,” the zoo said in its announcement on Tuesday.
The Bronx Zoo is currently home to 12 gorillas.
Spencer Gustafson is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered New York state and city news since 2023. See more of his work here.
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