The Santa Barbara Zoo’s longest current resident has died.
The Zoo announced Friday that 47-year-old white-handed gibbon Jamine had lived with diabetes for the last nine years and exceeded her life expectancy. Her disease was “diligently managed with medication protocols developed with help from a human endocrinologist,” the zoo stated on social media.
The zoo states assessments in recent months indicated Jasmine’s condition was declining and when her condition worsened “significantly” this week, the decision was made to humanely euthanize her.
Jasmine had been at the zoo since 1979. She had five offspring with former partner, Gulliver, and had been with companion Bono since 2020.
“In her younger years, Jasmine would climb to the highest points of the eucalyptus trees in her habitat and sing her gibbon call that could be heard from all corners of the Zoo,” the post stated. “In later years, she was often seen lounging in the sun along the bridge at Gibbon Island. Her spunky personality and love for scratches and snacks made her a zookeeper favorite.”
Zoo staff say they’ll “forever cherish the time we spent with Jasmine and are grateful to have cared for such a resilient and charismatic primate.”
