{"id":9328,"date":"2025-07-25T08:53:35","date_gmt":"2025-07-25T08:53:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/topkeynews.com\/?p=9328"},"modified":"2025-07-25T08:53:37","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T08:53:37","slug":"max-columbus-zoos-cherished-bonobo-dies-at-9","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/topkeynews.com\/?p=9328","title":{"rendered":"Max, Columbus Zoo\u2019s cherished bonobo, dies at 9"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH<\/a>) \u2014 Max, a bonobo at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium who was known for forming strong bonds, has died after a \u201csudden and complex medical event.\u201d He was 9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Columbus Zoo announced on Thursday that Max died on June 18 following a wellness check in which he was found unresponsive in his habitat. He was treated by the zoo\u2019s on-site veterinary team, and intensive, around-the-clock care was provided over six days in collaboration with outside specialists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Test results received this week showed medical changes that could be attributed to a combination of factors, the zoo said. These included gastric ulcers, along with signs that were consistent with heat-related illness. While the exact order of events couldn\u2019t be determined, veterinarians believe the gastritis could have caused Max to feel unwell and ultimately led to a medical emergency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Max, a bonobo at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, died on June 18. (Courtesy Photo\/Columbus Zoo and Aquarium)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat remains certain is that from the moment Max\u2019s condition changed, our teams responded with urgency, skill, and unwavering compassion \u2014 doing all they could to support his recovery,\u201d the zoo\u2019s social media announcement said. \u201cWhile we do everything possible to provide the highest standard of care, heartbreaking losses do happen \u2014 each one deeply felt, and never taken lightly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Max was born at the Columbus Zoo on Nov. 8, 2015. He was an important member of his troop and a beloved part of the zoo family, the social media post said. He was playful, intelligent, deeply social and \u201cknown for forming strong bonds both within his bonobo troop and with his Animal Care team.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was also a powerful ambassador for his species as the Columbus Zoo has cared for bonobos since 1990, making it one of only a few organizations in North America to house this endangered species. The zoo is also actively involved in global conservation efforts to protect bonobos in their native range.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMax was deeply loved,\u201d the zoo said. \u201cHe will never be forgotten.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) \u2014 Max, a bonobo at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium who was known for forming strong bonds, has died after a \u201csudden and complex medical event.\u201d He was 9. The Columbus Zoo announced on Thursday that Max died on June 18 following a wellness check in which he was found unresponsive in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":9329,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[308],"tags":[1359,1360,1358],"class_list":["post-9328","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-animal","tag-bonobolove","tag-columbuszoo","tag-rememberingmax"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/topkeynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9328","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/topkeynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/topkeynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/topkeynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/topkeynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9328"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/topkeynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9328\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9330,"href":"https:\/\/topkeynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9328\/revisions\/9330"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/topkeynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9329"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/topkeynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9328"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/topkeynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9328"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/topkeynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9328"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}