The Bronx Zoo’s beloved blind gorilla, who was featured in an Animal Planet docuseries, died of an ‘acute cardiac event,” the zoo announced Tuesday.
Ntondo, a male western lowland gorilla who lived in the zoo for more than a decade, was pronounced dead on Sunday. He was 32 years old.
The ape had become a popular attraction in the Bronx after he was featured in Animal Planet’s 2017 docuseries, “THE ZOO,” with the first episode following his journey after being diagnosed with glaucoma.
The show gave an in-depth look at how the staffers came to realize Ntondo was losing his eyesight, as well as the operation the gorilla underwent to unsuccessfully try and save his vision from deteriorating further.
The docuseries revealed how Ntondo was taken care of by zookeepers in the Bronx following his operation inside the Congo Gorilla Forest habitat, where he learned to maintain his role as a silverback to a group of females.
Despite eventually going blind, the ape was able to properly fulfill his role as he “remained patient, confident and able to navigate complex social situations with the assuredness of an experienced silverback,” the zoo said.
Ntondo, who was born on Feb. 28, 1993, in Canada’s Calgary Zoo, arrived at the Bronx Zoo in 2014 as part of a program to bolster the gorilla population for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
His illness and the extra attention he needed always kept the staffers close to him — making his death even more tragic for the zoo.
“Because of his blindness, Ntondo was uniquely bonded to the animal care staff,” the zoo said in a statement.
“He was an amazing animal and will be missed by all.”
The Bronx Zoo — one of the largest zoos in the US — is currently home to 12 gorillas, with the facility housing roughly 53 of the big apes since 1972.
