Officials at the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo are expected to share on Wednesday the results of a formal investigation into the death of its two-year-old western lowland gorilla Eyare.
The female gorilla died “unexpectedly” on Nov. 12 after she was injured while moving between the back-of-house spaces, outside of public view.
Officials said keepers immediately began life-saving procedures, but Eyare died of her injuries.
“Her passing will leave an immense hole in the hearts of our organization and our community,” said Colleen Baird, the zoo’s director of animal care, health and welfare, last week.
“Eyare will be remembered for her playful, curious spirit. Her short, but impactful life brought unending joy to our lives.
“She will be deeply missed by all.”
The investigation was launched immediately to determine the cause of the animal’s death and if any policy changes need to be made.
Officials said the report will include details about the facility and its animal-handling processes, as well as hard evidence of what happened.
“We’ll look at video footage and of course talk to the staff that were there,” Baird said.
Baird said that back-of-house moves are common procedures that happen almost daily with the gorillas.
“There are areas in the back-of-house where we do training with gorillas, where we feed them,” she said. “They’re moving from one location to another off habitat.”
The zoo is expected to release the results to the public at 9:30 a.m.
