Chaffee zoo orangutan dies of cancer. She liked ‘ChapStick, tomatoes and men with beards’

Staff at Fresno Chaffee Zoo are mourning the death of the zoo’s Sumatran orangutan, Sara.

Sara was euthanized after the discovery of metastatic cancer during a procedure last week. In a news release Friday, the zoo said its animal care team noticed Sara exhibiting signs of discomfort and a decreased appetite. A tumor was discovered while searching for the source of Sara’s illness. A follow-up procedure revealed additional tumors and it was determined that she had metastatic cancer in her liver, intestines and lymph nodes.

“Our veterinary staff and animal care team discussed many treatment options including chemotherapy, further surgery and palliative care,” Dr. Shannon Nodolf, chief veterinary officer, said in the release. “Our main concerns were her comfort and quality of life. Given Sara’s age and the severe side effects of treatment, the decision was made to humanely euthanize her.”

Sara would have turned 50 years old in August – well past the 26-year median life expectancy of female Sumatran orangutans.

She was born at Philadelphia Zoo and arrived at Fresno Chaffee Zoo in 2001 from Audubon Zoo. She was mother to Labu, born in 2010, and acted as a surrogate mother to Siabu, a 31-year-old female.

Sara enjoyed playing hand games with zookeepers, who said her other favorite things included ChapStick, tomatoes and men with beards.

The death leaves the zoo with five orangutans – Siabu and Labu plus a 36-year old male named Busar, a 9-year-old female named Ndari and a 1-year-old male named Hantu.