Hope, a 23-year-old gorilla, was well short of the 39 years female gorillas in captivity typically live to when she died earlier this month at the Dallas Zoo.

The zoo has yet to announce the cause of death for the mother of Saambili the zoos first baby gorilla in 20 years but says her death and those of a few other notable animals in recent months are isolated incidents and nothing out of the ordinary.

Its accrediting institution echoes the parks statement, saying there is no cause for concern.

Three animals have died this year in unrelated incidents that werent associated with old age a giraffe and an African painted dog, in addition to Hope. The zoo has been upfront about the deaths, posting about each on social media along with a reflection on the animals personality and time at the zoo.

Visitors have noted the recent losses in replies on Facebook and others commended the zoo on its candidness in sharing the information.

In a written statement, the zoo said its openness in the stories it tells has helped the public connect with all aspects of the animals' lives.

"That includes births, key milestones, birthdays, health challenges, and even deaths," the zoo said. "Given that we work with a living collection, life and death is a part of our everyday."

Hope died suddenly Nov. 3 after she and other gorillas in the zoos family troop had experienced mild gastrointestinal symptoms. Tests for parasites and other pathogens were negative, but a necropsy found that her colon was severely inflamed, the zoo said.

The zoo has said the final tests to determine her cause of death are still pending. Other gorillas, including Megan and her son, Mbani Saambilis half-brother are continuing to recover but seem to be past the worst of the illness, the zoo said.

Saambili, who was born in June 2018, was understandably shaken by the loss of her mother, the zoo said. In the days that followed, her father, Subira, stayed near her side and other members of the family troop took turns holding her.

She has also been strengthening her bond with her aunt Shanta, who often carries Saambili around on her back a bright spot in the midst of sadness," according to the zoo.

Gorilla family bonds are strong, and the other family members have stepped in to support and comfort her, the zoo said in a prepared statement.

On the Fourth of July, just weeks after an introduction that zoologists said had gone better than expected, African painted dog Ola was killed by her two packmates.

The zoo described the attack as a "short bout of aggressive behavior" from the two brothers who were behaving naturally and did nothing wrong.

There had been no aggression between the animals who met in a high-stakes introduction a month earlier, the zoo said, adding that it believed the staff could not have prevented the incident.

Her death was another blow for the staff and for zoo guests who had recently learned that the giraffe Witten, named after the Dallas Cowboy, had died June 17 during an exam.

The zoo initially thought the giraffe had stopped breathing at the beginning of a procedure in reaction to a sedative. He was being examined for health issues ahead of a transfer to a Canadian zoo.

A necropsy showed that he thrashed around before the sedative took effect and broke a bone in his neck, which killed him almost instantly, the zoo said.

The zoos internal review of the incident revealed no issues with policies that were in place or veterinary procedures. A recommendation was made to make minor modifications to the device that is used to manage giraffes during veterinary procedures.

The change would not have altered the outcome but could make future procedures more efficient, the zoo said.

Rob Vernon, a spokesman for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the zoos accrediting agency, said this summer that sometimes deaths occur around the same time but that they are not connected or reflected on the care provided at the zoo.

"I can tell you that there's nothing out of the ordinary in any of the deaths that have occurred at the Dallas Zoo," Vernon said. "Death is a reality for any of us caring for living things and it's something that we deal with on a normal basis."

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which licenses zoos and other similar exhibitors, identified no "non-compliant items" during its annual inspections of the Dallas Zoo in 2017, 2018 and 2019. The most recent inspection took place June 24, days after the giraffe's death.

No non-compliances were found related to the death of the African painted dog, Ola, either, according to the USDA.

The AZA does not track deaths in U.S. zoos, but Dallas keeps a record of its own.

For the last 10 years worth of data, the zoo said it averages 3.1 deaths a month. Through October, the number of deaths in 2019 has been about 5 percent below that average.

While weve experienced the deaths of several well-known animals among high-profile species, there is nothing out of the ordinary about the number of animal deaths that have occurred at the Dallas Zoo in the previous year, the zoo said in a statement.

AZA zoos are required to contact the association in the event of an accident with an animal or a keeper, which Dallas has done especially in the case of a notable animal death, Vernon said.

If the AZA learns of unusual circumstances at a zoo, he said, it can send in a team to investigate, but whether a zoo loses its accreditation is a case-by-case basis.

In March 2018, the Baton Rouge Zoo lost its 40-year accreditation after inspectors noted three animal escapes in 16 months, outdated facilities and a 2016 incident in which dogs broke into the zoo and killed three monkeys, The Advocate reported.

The incident followed the unexpected deaths of two giraffes and a tiger for which the zoo was cleared of any wrongdoing, according to The Advocate.

The Dallas Zoo's accreditation runs through March 2022. The zoo, which has been an AZA institution since 1985, has been a "stellar member," Vernon said.

Animal-rights groups often object to the keeping of animals in zoos, citing claims of behavioral issues, threats of disease, added stressors and poor facilities.

Both the AZA and Dallas Zoo argue that animals in zoos get a level of care and safety from predators, the weather and other factors that they would not get in the wild. The zoo has also stressed its efforts to provide animals with enrichment.

A 2016 analysis published in the journal Scientific Reports found, based on a variety of factors, that mammals in zoos generally live longer than those in the wild.

There are some exceptions. Species that have a slower pace of life, which is linked to low mortality, and those that have high longevity in the wild may not see their life expectancy lengthened in zoos.

The study also added that carnivores may need husbandry techniques to reduce the behavioral abnormalities that they are more susceptible to in zoos.

But animals with a short life span, high reproductive rate and high mortality in the wild may see the benefits.

The zoo has experienced several notable deaths in recent years: Adhama, a 7-year-old hippo who died suddenly of heart-related complications from a viral infection in October 2018; Kipenzi, the 3-month-old giraffe who died instantly when she broke three vertebrae in her neck in July 2015; Kamau, a popular 6-month-old cheetah cub who died of a respiratory illness in January 2014; and 5-year-old lioness Johari, who was killed by one of the zoos male lions in November 2013.

Those deaths grab more attention than others, perhaps in part because of the non-natural causes or because the animals have been visible for their species at the zoo.

The zoo has also shared a number of age-related deaths on its social-media accounts.

The zoo lost Doyle, a 49-year-old chimp the third-oldest male in the AZA to age-related health issues in June. Male chimps typically live to be 31.4 years old in human care, according to AZAs survival statistics table.

In April, a 29-year-old okapi named Kwanini died, having far outlived the 16.4-year median life expectancy for the species, according to AZA statistics.

Other deaths included Honeydew, the oldest tapir in the AZA, who died of age-related issues in January shortly before turning 38.

Staff writer Tom Steele contributed to this report.

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Recent deaths at Dallas Zoo have seemed notable but aren't out of the ordinary - The Dallas Morning News