Chester Zoo announces the death of a 58-year-old chimpanzee

A 58-year-old chimpanzee who was rescued from a New York pet shop and brought to Britain in the 1960s has died, zoo bosses have announced.

Chester Zoo said staff said goodbye to Boris, the western chimpanzee with “heavy hearts”.

The animal came to the zoo in 1969 after being taken from its mother by illegal wildlife traders and ending up in the window of a New York pet store, the zoo said.

“This is one of those days where you hope it never comes and we’re all devastated to say goodbye to Boris – he really was one in a million,” said Mike Jordan, director of animals and plants of the zoo.

The chimpanzee, one of the zoo’s oldest residents, was said to have been healthy until the past few months, when it deteriorated and was removed by veterinarians on Wednesday.

The zoo said its teams reflected on the “extraordinary legacy” Boris had on critically endangered species.

Mr Jordan said: “Boris played a central role in establishing the international conservation breeding program for western chimpanzees, siring 22 cubs.”

He said Boris had “lots of offspring all over the world”, including seven – Annie, Stevie, Toyah, Eric, Patti, Alice and Jeff – who are still at Chester Zoo.

Mr Jordan said the chimpanzee had left “an extraordinary legacy, made all the more remarkable given his difficult start in life which saw him orphaned as a baby”.

Boris was originally rescued from a pet store and raised in a Manhattan apartment by author and journalist Hester Mundis, who was keen to raise awareness of animal rights issues.

He looked after Boris for a few years, but later ended up at Chester Zoo, where the chimpanzee now even has a bronze statue.

Andy Lenihan, who has been involved in Boris’s care for more than 40 years, said the chimpanzee was “a wonderfully colorful character” and felt like he had lost an old friend.