GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The John Ball Zoo is mourning the passing of two animals Monday afternoon.
The zoo shared two photos in a Facebook post , honoring Sammy the chimpanzee and Sunny the kelp gull. Both animals lived to be over 40 years old.
Sammy came to the John Ball Zoo from the Kansas City Zoo in 2009 and was a favorite among guests and staff, the zoo said. Over the last several years, he experienced a few chronic health challenges, but the zoo staff was able to provide daily support to manage his condition.
Over the weekend, the zoo said that Sammy's quality of life had "deteriorated significantly," and the decision was made to humanely euthanize him. Sammy died at 47 years old.
Sunny was one of only two kelp gulls in human care at an AZA-accredited facility. He was almost 42 y