Nearly 50-year-old orangutan dies at Woodland Park Zoo

SEATTLE (AP) — Officials at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle say a nearly 50-year-old old female orangutan who was known for her inquisitiveness and easygoing nature died while recovering from a surgical procedure. Melati would have turned 50 on Dec. 27. She was the oldest orangutan at the zoo. The median life expectancy for orangutans is 28 years. In zoos, orangutans live to their 40s and 50s because of the evolving field of zoo medicine. She had two offspring, 32-year-old Heran and 40-year-old Belawan, who both still live at the Seattle zoo. Melati was best known as the nosy orangutan who liked to interact with visitors.