PROVIDENCE, R.I. - A white-cheeked gibbon that had been part of one of the most popular exhibits at a U.S. zoo for decades has died.
The Roger Williams Park Zoo in Rhode Island says Gloria was euthanized Friday after suffering for months with a disease that has symptoms similar to those of Parkinson's.
Gloria was born in 1983 at the Minnesota Zoo and had been at the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence since 1989.
White-cheeked gibbons are apes that are native to rainforests in Southeast Asia. They are classified as a critically endangered species.
Gibbons typically live about 25 to 30 years in the wild and can live more than 40 years in captivity.
The zoo says it made the decision to euthanize Gloria because of a severe decline in her quality of life.
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