A “much-loved” orangutan who had been a familiar face at Jersey Zoo for 15 years has been euthanised following a decline in her health.
Anette – affectionately known as Nettie – was put to sleep on Monday after her care team concluded that age-related health problems were increasingly affecting her day-to-day wellbeing.
The 43-year-old Sumatran orangutan had suspected osteoarthritis and long-standing dental problems.
For the past few years, she had received bespoke geriatric care, including regular medication and supplements intended to keep her as comfortable as possible.
However, her keepers had recently noticed periods of discomfort and unease, increased lethargy and a reluctance at times to engage with enrichment activities or training.
Durrell said animals could be very good at masking pain, but Nettie’s keepers knew her closely and had detected changes in her behaviour and demeanour.
The team decided to act before her condition deteriorated to the point where she was experiencing significant pain or distress.
Durrell’s head of veterinary services Dr Nic Masters said: “Reaching a decision to euthanise any animal is always difficult, especially when you are looking at a combination of age-related ailments where the effects aren’t always easy to measure objectively.
“Nettie’s health had clearly deteriorated. We had documented progressive arthritic changes and dental disease spanning the last decade, and alongside this we had seen a decline in her overall wellbeing.”
She added: “We made a responsible, proactive decision to end her life in a peaceful and considered way before she was in distress.”
Born at Tierpark Berlin in Germany in 1983, Nettie later moved to Duisburg Zoo before arriving in Jersey in 2011 as part of the European breeding programme.
She was introduced to Dagu and the pair welcomed Jantho in 2013. Despite having been partially hand-reared herself, Nettie proved to be a doting – if sometimes laid-back – mother.
The zoo remembered her as a keen people watcher who could often be found observing visitors or nearby maintenance work.
Many now-experienced ape keepers also developed their skills under Nettie’s “watchful – and sometimes testing – gaze”.
Mark Habben, Durrell’s Director of Zoo Operations, described Nettie as “a constant friendly face to so many of us”.
He said: “She was a wonderful orangutan and will be missed enormously by everyone who cared for her and by the many people who came to know her over the years.”
The Sumatran orangutan is classed as critically endangered.
