NC Zoo's Rosie the Gorilla dies

ASHEBORO, N.C. (WTVD) -- Rosie the gorilla, the 43-year-old matriarch of the North Carolina Zoo's gorilla troop, has died, the Zoo announced today.

The Zoo humanely euthanized Rosie on Thursday due to a large abdominal mass that was inoperable, in part due to her advanced age.

Female Western Lowland gorillas such as Rosie typically have a normal lifespan of 38 years in captivity.

The North Carolina Zoo now has seven gorillas in its troop: silverback Mosuba, females Jamani and Olympia, adolescent male Hadari, and juvenile males Apollo, Bomassa, and Dembe.

Read more from the NC Zoo's website here.