Zoo announces death of 58-year-old chimpanzee

Boris had been at Chester Zoo since 1969

A 58-year-old chimpanzee who was rescued from a pet shop in New York and brought to the UK in the 1960s has died, zoo bosses have announced.

Chester Zoo said staff had said goodbye to Boris the western chimpanzee "with heavy hearts".

The animal came to the zoo in 1969, having been taken from its mother by illegal wildlife traders and ending up in the window of a New York pet shop, the zoo said.

“This is one of those days that you hope will never come and we’re all heartbroken to say goodbye to Boris – he really was one in a million," said Mike Jordan, the zoo's director of animals and plants.

Boris pictured in New York in 1968

The chimpanzee, one of the zoo's oldest residents, was said to have been in good health until recent months, when it deteriorated and was put down by vets on Wednesday.

The zoo said its teams had been reflecting on the “extraordinary legacy” Boris had had on the critically endangered species.

Mr Jordan said: “Boris played a central role in establishing the international conservation breeding programme for western chimpanzees, siring 22 young."

He said Boris had "a raft of descendants right around the world", including seven - Annie, Stevie, Toyah, Eric, Patti, Alice and Jeff - who are still at Chester Zoo.

(From left) Halfpenny, Kate, Boris and Cleo at Chester Zoo

Mr Jordan said the chimpanzee had left "an extraordinary legacy, made all the more remarkable given his difficult start to life which saw him orphaned as a baby".

Boris was initially rescued from the pet shop and raised in an apartment in Manhattan by author and journalist Hester Mundis, who was keen to raise awareness of animal rights issues.

She cared for Boris for several years but later reached out to Chester Zoo, where the chimpanzee now even has a bronze statue.

Andy Lenihan, who had been involved in the care of Boris for more than 40 years, said the chimp was "a wonderfully colourful character" and it felt like losing an old friend.