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Artistic orangutan dies at Houston Zoo
By ANNA GALLEGOS, HOUSTON CHRONICLE
August 30, 2011
The Bornean orangutan named Doc was euthanized by the zoo's veterinary staff due to cardiomyopathy, the deterioration of the heart muscle. He was 27.
Doc had been undergoing treatment, which included taking human heart medications, since January 2010. This was the first instance of cardiomyopathy in an orangutan at the Houston Zoo, said zoo officials.
Doc was known for his finger paintings that were exhibited at a contemporary art gallery in 2005 to raise funds for orangutan conservation in Indonesia.
The primate was brought to Houston as a "social companion" for a young female ape, which resulted in two births, zoo officials said. Doc's children, Solaris and Aurora, reside at the Houston Zoo and will be monitored for signs of grief concerning their father's passing, said zoo officials.
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