Amanda, Como Zoo orangutan and one of its ‘most loved animals,’ euthanized at 46

Staff Report, Pioneer Press
Updated ·2 min read

Como Zoo issued a statement on Monday that Amanda, one of its orangutans, was euthanized on Saturday after a mass was discovered in her abdomen. She was 46.

In response to the orangutan’s death, Mayor Melvin Carter declared Monday as Amanda the Orangutan Day in St. Paul.

Amanda came to Como Zoo from the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas, when she was three years old in 1979.

“With her large personality she made connections to our visitors and was the subject of countless photographs capturing her exceptional beauty,” the zoo said in a statement. “Amanda was known for her intelligence, playful personality, love of painting and listening to music, and she was a frequent participant in the regular animal enrichment programs.

“Amanda served as an incredible ambassador for orangutans in the wild and orangutan conservation, inspiring many to get involved with research and programs that worked to protect orangutans.”

Recently, when Amanda’s big personality dimmed, a diagnosis was sought.

“A team of specialists from the University of Minnesota and our dedicated zoo staff recently immobilized Amanda to try to find the cause of her recent discomfort, lethargy, and inappetence (lack of appetite),” the statement reported. “A mass within her body was discovered that ultimately caused chronic damage to her kidneys. Unfortunately the mass, located within her lower abdomen, was determined to be difficult to remove and her prognosis for recovery and improvement was extremely poor. The difficult decision was made to humanly euthanize her.”

The orangutan was “humanely euthanized” on Saturday morning in the presence of her zookeepers, the zoo revealed later.

Zookeepers and staff are grieving the loss.

“Amanda was curious, mischievous, engaging, and smart. We lost a beautiful soul”, said Megan Elder, who is the Como Zoo primate zookeeper, orangutan species survival coordinator, and international orangutan studbook keeper. “It’s crushing for me, my co-workers, and all that knew her, cared for her, and loved her. It’s no exaggeration to say she inspired generations. It’s hard to imagine Como without her”.

In memory of the orangutan, Mayor Melvin Carter has officially declared Monday as Amanda the Orangutan Day in St. Paul.

“She will be deeply missed,” Carter wrote in a tweet.

Orangutans — part of a species that also includes gorillas, chimpanzees and bonobos — are a critically endangered species, the statement said. While their median life expectancy is 28 years, orangutans are now living in to their 40s and 50s because of the evolving field of zoo medicine, which includes geriatric care.

Amanda was a hybrid orangutan — an orangutan derived from interbreeding between any of the three Orangutan species: Bornean, Sumatran and Tapanuli.

Please share your memories and photos of Amanda with Molly Guthrey at mguthrey@pioneerpress.com.

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