The San Francisco Zoo Has Lost Another Chimpanzee
43-year-old Beth unexpectedly passed away on Tuesday
The pandemic’s been especially hard on Bay Area zoological institutions, which primarily rely on ticket sales to clear their financial overhead. Alas, Covid-19 put a clear divide in that transaction — almost putting the Oakland Zoo out of business and costing the San Francisco Zoo millions in lost revenue. But the past twelve months have also been particularly hard on the animals that these wildlife parks care for.
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(For the more cerebral animals, like our planet’s great apes, interactions with zoo guests and staff have historically proven as a source of enrichment, preventing them from boredom and behavioral decline. Blown kisses and mutually enjoyed games of catch with celery sticks are more than just adorable interactions; they’re examples of animals engaging with the world around them; that was missed for the better part of a year when local zoos had to shutter amid California’s reopening tier program.)
One such hardship recently came down on our city’s troop of Chimpanzees, which lost yet another member on Tuesday. Beth, one of San Francisco Zoo’s elder female chimpanzees, passed away suddenly.
