The Louisville Zoo Mourns the Loss of Frank, A Very Special Silverback Gorilla

The great looking guy you see above was a very special Silverback Lowland Gorilla. The Louisville Zoo recently lost Frank, who lived to be 44 years old, a very impressive age for a gorilla. The Louisville Zoo is actually home to Timmy, who at 49 is the oldest living male gorilla in North America. Helen, who is 50 (sorry, Helen, I know we ladies don’t like to give away our age ), also calls The Louisville Zoo home.

Frank was one of nine silverbacks in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums population over age 40.

Thursday afternoon The Louisville Zoo had to say goodbye to this beautiful silverback western lowland gorilla.

Frank was born in the wild in Cameroon, Africa, in 1964, but lived most of his life at Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo. He transferred to the Louisville Zoo in 2002 for the opening of (the amazing) Gorilla Forest. Frank was known for his gentleness and kindness as well as for successfully raising unrelated youngsters introduced to his group. He was even named Chicago magazine’s “Father of the Year” in 1998!

This gentle giant suffered from arthritic legs and, while at the Lincoln Park Zoo, he had an orthopedic surgery performed by none other than the team surgeon of the NBA Chicago Bulls. What would you expect for a Father of the Year, right?

Since his arrival at the Louisville Zoo in 2002, Frank received the best of care from cardiologists, physical therapists, radiologists and dentists. He was on a very special, customized diet and was given medication for heart disease, high blood pressure and chronic age-related arthritis.

Sadly, this week, the medication was no longer able to control Frank’s symptoms and the Zoo was no longer to, humanely, hold onto a much loved friend.

From a statement released from The Louisville Zoo:
Early this week Frank became unable or unwilling to move. Veterinary staff thoroughly examined Frank Wednesday and confirmed the progression of his disease. Because of the unresolveable nature of his illness and his rapidly deteriorating condition, Louisville Zoo veterinary staff humanely euthanized Frank on Thursday.

“This is the most difficult decision zoo professionals have to make,” Dr. Roy Burns said. “But we are confident that we made the right one. Frank lived a good, long life. But he just wore out.”

Gorilla Forest Supervisor Roby Elsner—who has cared for Frank for 11 years, including time at the Lincoln Park Zoo—said Frank was a special gorilla.

“Frank was a great father. Four of his daughters have proven to be excellent moms, one of which even adopts those not her own. Frank, too, in addition to being an excellent father, served as a surrogate dad and often took in babies that were hand-raised and needed to be reintroduced to other gorillas,” Elsner said. “That’s one of the reasons he earned Chicago magazine’s ‘Father of the Year’ in 1998.”

Frank had extraordinary social skills, and one of Elsner’s favorite memories was when Frank would back up to young gorillas and invite them to ride on his back and play. But at Louisville Zoo’s Gorilla Forest when he was with young blackback males Kicho, Jelani, Bengati and Cecil, the young boys were too big to ride on Frank’s back, “so when he would back into them, they would make one big conga line and walk connected around their exhibit,” Elsner said.

Frank was donated to the Lincoln Park Zoo on May 17, 1966, by Franklin Schmick, who once served as a Chicago Park District Commissioner. Frank was 2 years old and weighed 17 pounds upon arrival. He was raised in the nursery at the Children’s Zoo before moving to the Primate House. There, he continued to be raised by the keepers until his weight topped 100 pounds.

At 44, Frank was the third oldest gorilla at Louisville Zoo’s Gorilla Forest. Only female Helen, age 50, and male Timmy, age 49, are older. (Timmy is the oldest male in North America.) Frank was one of nine silverbacks in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums population over age 40.

“Frank is definitely part of the history and fabric of the Louisville Zoo and Gorilla Forest,” Elsner said. “It’s a very difficult time for the Zoo, especially for those of us who worked with Frank every day. He will be greatly missed by us and the entire community.”