Zoo vets put the minor celebrity to sleep due to his ongoing health problems, the zoo said on Thursday.
At 57, he is thought to be the oldest orangutan in the world, although his exact birth date is unknown. He was captured as a baby in 1962 and brought to Stuttgart zoo. He then moved to Frankfurt in 1978.
Professor Manfred Niekisch from Frankfurt Zoo said Charly was suffering from joint pains and old age.
Most recently he had problems with his jaw. “In recent weeks Charly could no longer participate in life with the orangutan group. He was physically limited,” Niekisch said.
The zoo took the decision to euthanize Charly on Wednesday. They will now look for a new male orangutan for the group.
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