Timu, the world’s first gorilla conceived by IVF, dies, zoo officials said.
Photo from Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium
Timu, the world’s first and only gorilla to be conceived by in vitro fertilization, has died, the Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium in Nebraska announced in a Jan. 8 Facebook post. She was 28 years old.
Her conception earned her the title of “the world’s first test tube gorilla,” and her birth in 1995 was “a celebrated scientific milestone for the conservation of her species,” zoo officials said.
Born prematurely at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, Timu was transferred to Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium in 1996, the post said.
“She was beloved by the Omaha community and her Zoo caretakers,” the zoo said.
In her lifetime, Timu gave birth to three offspring, two of which live in Omaha.
Her third offspring resides at another zoo, in accordance with guidelines by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Western Lowland Gorilla Species Survival Plan, officials said.
“Timu was key to a successful, multi-generational gorilla family,” according to zoo officials. Her family provided researchers with “incredible insights into the importance of social family relationships to the well-being of gorillas everywhere,” they added.
Christine Dupre’, the zoo’s supervisor of great apes, called Timu “a gentle girl with soulful eyes,” according to the post.
The zoo said diagnostic tests revealed Timu was in acute kidney failure and had advanced kidney disease.
Timu died while recovering from anesthesia after a treatment procedure, zoo officials said.
Lauren Liebhaber is a National Real-Time Reporter for McClatchy.