The feeble health condition of the 59-year-old female chimpanzee, named "Rita", has forced Delhi zoo authorities to keep her on a special diet and extra care.
Citing zoo officials, local media reported that Rita, said to be the oldest living chimpanzee in India, has neither been having proper meals nor moving frequently.
"Rita has not been keeping well since July 27. It seems age has finally caught up with her. She has not been eating properly and grown frail. She doesn't move around much. We are providing her vitamins, minerals, liver tonic and iron supplement syrup regularly. Since July 27, she is on a diet of juice, coconut water and milk with ground almonds and walnuts", Zoo Curator Riyaz Khan told NDTV.
Intensifying the treatment, officials have put her on a liquid diet, feeding it coconut water and milk with ground almonds and walnuts.
Born in 1960 in Amsterdam, Rita was brought to India in 1990, living to become the oldest chimp in India, and, according to the Limca Book of Records, has become the "oldest chimpanzee in Asia".
National Zoological Park, New Delhi received the Limca Book of Records for Chimpanzee Rita, an inmate of Delhi Zoo as India's oldest Chimpanzee, said Renu Singh, director, National Zoological Park, New Delhi. @AmitabhYash pic.twitter.com/01Oic290xu
— Rajeev Mullick (@rmulko) March 15, 2019
On average, a healthy chimpanzee lives a lifespan of around 40 years, which Rita crossed 19 years ago.
For her 58th birthday, the Delhi Zoo treated the chimpanzee with her favourite treat of honey and nuts and gave her a television to watch videos.
