Chantek, a male orangutan who was among the first apes to learn sign language, could clean his room and memorised the way to a fast-food restaurant, has died aged 39, Zoo Atlanta says.
Chantek, who was taught by a trainer who raised him like her own child, was being treated for heart disease, the zoo said in a statement on Monday.
"Chantek will be deeply missed by his family here at Zoo Atlanta. He had such a unique and engaging personality and special ways of relating to and communicating with those who knew him best," said Hayley Murphy, vice-president of the zoo's animal divisions.
Chantek, one of the oldest male orangutans in North American zoos, was born at the Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center in Atlanta.
Chantek eating spaghetti and making a phone call. Source: YouTube/Lyn Miles
He was sent to live with anthropologist Lyn Miles at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga for about nine years.
Chantek learned to clean his room, make and use tools and could direct a driving route from the university to a Dairy Queen restaurant, according to a 2014 PBS documentary, The Ape Who Went to College.
Chantek was among a handful of primates who could communicate using American Sign Language, along with Koko, a gorilla, and Washoe, a female chimpanzee.
He was transferred to Zoo Atlanta in 1997 and frequently used sign language to communicate with keepers, the zoo said.
Zoo Atlanta began a medical regimen in 2016 to treat Chantek's symptoms of heart disease, which is a leading cause of death among great apes in zoos.
Chantek learned how to make necklaces. Source: YouTube/Lyn Miles
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