5-year-old orangutan dies at Milwaukee Zoo - WQOW TV: Eau Claire, WI NEWS18 News, Weather, and Sports

5-year-old orangutan dies at Milwaukee Zoo

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By Brittany Schmidt - email

MILWAUKEE (WKOW) – A 5-year-old orangutan at the Milwaukee County Zoo died Saturday morning.

Zoo officials said the orangutan, Mahal, died in his exhibit around 8:30 a.m. Zoo officials said he'd been showing signs of illness since Thursday.

According to our sister station, WISN-TV, the zoo's veterinary staff believes the cause of death was pneumonia.  An official necropsy will be conducted to determine the exact cause of death.

Zoo officials said Mahal was popular with zoo visitors.  The zoo plans to devise a way for the public to commemorate the 5-year-old orangutan.

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the red-haired orangutan was born in Colorado in 2007 but his mother rejected him.  Mahal was brought to Milwaukee to be raised by a surrogate mother.

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