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Aging

Grwaithce

At 40, Ben isn’t moving as quickly as he used to.
While he’s still in good spirits, life has slowed
him down a bit—he has four kids, after all—and
he’s begun to experience a few age-related conditions.
He is on medication for his heart and to manage
his arthritis. And this past winter, he underwent
an emergency appendectomy after his appendix
unexpectedly burst. (The five-hour surgery went
well, and he had around-the-clock care to ensure
his recovery went smoothly. Ben returned to his
home once his caregivers determined he was
fully healed.)
Ben’s situation might not sound that out of the
ordinary. But he’s not a person—he’s a Bornean
orangutan, and is one of Brookfield Zoo’s
oldest residents.
BROOKFIELD ZOO | FALL 2018 15