We are heartbroken to share the passing of our 46-year-old female siamang, Sapphire. She passed surrounded by her dedicated animal care team, and her partner of 41 years, Pete. He was able to say his own goodbye, as well.  

“Sapphire was a big part of so many people’s day, and the Zoo won’t be the same without Pete and Sapphire’s duets,” said Africa platform area supervisor Alyssa Simon. “She will be greatly missed.” 

Pete will remain with our Zoo for now, but we are looking for a new partner for him. We’ll let you know of any updates on our social media channels and blog.  

At 46 years old, Sapphire more than passed the median lifespan of 26.7 years for male and female siamangs, according to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Sapphire recently underwent a routine medical exam. While the exam went well overall, she never fully recovered despite extraordinary efforts from our veterinary team. The difficult and compassionate decision of euthanasia was made to prevent future pain. A necropsy found abnormalities in the left kidney, ureter and lungs. We hope to learn more from histopathology, or the microscopic examination of the cells of organs. 

As a Zoo resident for 28 years, Sapphire was cared for by generations of keepers.  

Lauren Hinson, our Zoo’s director of animal programs, has worked with a number of gibbons and siamangs over her career – and none were as personable and nice as Sapphire and Pete.  

“Sapphire would hold your hand for long periods of time, take food gently, and just want to be near us,” Lauren said.  

Even after Lauren was no longer their keeper, Sapphire would still come over to hold her hand when Lauren filled in for keepers during the holidays.  

“She loved digging in boxes of enrichment, occasionally harassing a turtle or a baby gator that came up on land, and snuggling with Pete,” Lauren said.  

Sapphire was the first primate Wild Florida area supervisor Christen Carrillo ever worked with.  

“She taught me a lot as a keeper,” she said.  

Christen always looked forward to seeing spunky, big personality Sapphire in the mornings because the siamang was sure to have some bed head. Wild Florida keeper Mallory wanted to make sure it was included that the sound of Sapphire smacking her lips while enjoying a good snack would stick with her forever.   

One of Sapphire’s favorite treats was pickle juice – a snack that fit her smart, sassy personality perfectly, area supervisor Alyssa said.  

“She was constantly testing keepers to see what she could get away with and was notorious for her creative methods to convince keepers that she took her meds when she hadn’t,” Alyssa said.  

It’s always hard to say goodbye to one of our animal residents, especially one who touched so many lives. You may have noticed we’ve lost a number of older animal residents in the last few weeks. We cherish all our animals through every stage of their lives, and we’re dedicated to giving them the best possible life with us.  

It’s important to us to be transparent with you and give you a look at the full scope of animal care at the Zoo, which sees the highs of animal births and, inevitably, the lows of saying goodbye. We have the responsibility of understanding when our care is no longer serving them and difficult, yet compassionate, decisions need to be made. 

Please keep our animal care team in your thoughts.