JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens' youngest western lowland gorilla, Kevin, has died, according to a Facebook post from the zoo.
He's the fourth ape to die of Shigella at the zoo since Aug. 22. Shigella is a contagious bacterial infection that has spread in the zoo.
Bulera, a 35-year-old female western lowland gorilla, was the first to die. The deaths of Bonobo brothers Jumanji and Jenga followed four days later.
Kevin was a beloved visitor favorite. He died after staff had worked "round the clock to save him," the zoo said.
He was born in 2021 to father Lash and mother Madini.
"Being the youngest of his troop, his playful and spirited personality often led him to engage in roughhousing and wrestling with many of his family members," the zoo wrote in their post.
During a press conference on Aug. 28, Tracy Fenn, the zoo's curator of mammals, said the first three apes who died had preexisting conditions.
She did say that other animals were infected, but the zoo was working to stop the spread. She did not specify at the time which animals were sick.
"Recovery within the apes may be fluid. It may take time to fully resolve," Fenn said at the time.
She said the zoo still does not know the cause of the outbreak.