PORTLAND — The Oregon Zoo says 20-year-old orangutan Kutai has died following an illness.
The zoo’s lead veterinarian said Sunday that the loss of Kutai is devastating for everyone at the zoo. Finnegan says the zoo’s staff had been treating Kutai for medical issues since last month and had tried to help him with two surgeries in the past week.
Kutai was born in 1993 at Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, Kan., and arrived in Portland in 2001. The orangutan’s grandmother is 54 years old and still a resident at the Oregon Zoo.
Zoo staff described Kutai as extremely intelligent. Zoo director Kim Smith says he was mischievous but sweet.
