Kumbuka the gorilla who famously escaped his enclosure sparking panic at London Zoo dies aged 21

A SILVERBACK gorilla who sparked panic after escaping from his enclosure at London Zoo in 2016 has died at 21, the zoo has announced.

Kumbuka the gorilla made headlines when he spent an hour on the lose after one of the entrances to his enclosure was left open by a keeper.

He was later recaptured after being shot with a tranquilliser gun.

Zoo chiefs said today that keepers had recently noticed Kumbuka not eating his food or playing with the other gorillas as he normally would.

Vets sedated him to investigate and decided not to bring him back round after discovering that he was suffering from an infection.

Announcing the death, Kathryn England, the Chief Operating Officer at London Zoo, said: “We have some sad news to share.

“Kumbuka, ZSL London Zoo’s silverback gorilla passed away on Friday 25 October.

“Working closely with Kumbuka every day, our keepers had noticed that he was unwell.

“Following close observation from the veterinary team, the decision was made to give Kumbuka a general anaesthetic so that the team could get a better understanding of what was making him unwell.

“Once anaesthetised, and with the support of specialist doctors from University College Hospital and Guys and St Thomas’ in London, our vets could see that Kumbuka had an infection which required surgery to further investigate.

“Sadly this revealed that the infection was severe and widespread, and that the kindest, and only, option was to not bring him round from the anaesthesia.

‘LARGER THAN LIFE’

England said Kumbuka had been a “larger than life character, a devoted father of two and proud leader of London Zoo’s troop”.

“He will be sorely missed by those who worked with him every day and by our many visitors who were so impressed by his sheer presence,” she said

“We’ll look back fondly on our charismatic, gentle giant.

“Our team will now focus on ensuring the females and infants, all of whom appear healthy and well, remain settled over the next few days.”

Speaking at the time of Kumbuka’s 2016 escape, zoo bosses said there had never been any danger to the public.

“Unfortunately the door to his den had not been properly secured and a secondary security door had not yet been locked,” a statement said.

“We’ve since established that Kumbuka made an opportunistic escape from his unlocked den into the staff-only service corridor where a zookeeper was working.

“Thanks to the incredibly close bond and relationship shared by the zookeeper and Kumbuka, the zookeeper was able to continually reassure Kumbuka, talking to him calmly and in the same light-hearted tone he would always use, as he removed himself from the area.

“Staff raised the alarm that triggered our standard escape response, while Kumbuka briefly explored the zookeeper area next door to his den, where he opened and drank five litres of undiluted blackcurrant squash.”

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