St. Louis Zoo Orangutan Dies
Incident Date:
06/08/2026
Location:
St. Louis, MO - USA
Facility Name:
St. Louis Zoo
Facility Type:
Accredited AZA Facility (AZA)
Incident Category:
Animal Death (AD)
Species:
Primates
Animal:
Orangutan
Animal disposition:
Dead
Summary:
ST. LOUIS, MO – A longtime resident of the Saint Louis Zoo died last week. Zoo officials announced Monday that Merah, a Sumatran orangutan, was euthanized on June 3 due to failing health and quality of life concerns. She was 57.
Born in a Netherlands zoo, Merah came to Saint Louis Zoo in 1992 from Miami Metro Zoo. She spent the next 34 years as a resident of the Fragile Forest exhibit. Merah was the second-oldest Sumatran orangutan in North America.
She was a mother of five, grandmother of two, and great-grandmother of one, including Sugriwa, Ginger, and Rubih, who were born at the Saint Louis Zoo.
Action take by Born Free USA:
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