PORTLAND, Ore. -- A necropsy shows that a popular Oregon Zoo chimpanzee who drew hundreds of people to his memorial service died of a blood clot in the heart. Charlie the chimp died Sept. 17 at age 39, considered late middle age for a chimp. He had lived at the Portland zoo for 37 years. Senior veterinarian Mitch Finnegan says the zoo's four female chimps gathered around Charlie, shrieking, when he collapsed, preventing zoo staff from reaching him immediately or attempting cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The Oregonian says Charlie could rattle off the names of treats in American Sign Language and often signed that he wanted to play chase. Zoo staffers say he knew that men in ties were authority figures. He also recognized former keepers when they visited years later.
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