Feb 26, 2009

Cinder In Memoriam

Chimpanzees have been in the news lately, and not with happy endings. I'll focus on Cinder the Hairless Chimp.

I've posted on Cinder before. She was a sweetheart 14-year-old chimp who lived at the St. Louis Zoo. She suffered from an autoimmune disorder known as Alopecia universalis that caused all of her hair to fall out starting when she was still young (that's her on the left--doesn't get much cuter). The next photo is one of her in her hairless prime, being a cheeky monkey for the camera.

Photo source: Curt Knaus


















She was a favorite at the zoo until she died unexpectedly last Sunday (Feb 15). Her cause of death is still unknown, despite a thorough necropsy. The lab results might yield some answers. Until then, here's the Cinder the Hairless Chimp. The world needs more chimps like you, and more people like the folks that cared for you.

Thanks for the news, Mary.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I remember when I first saw this picture. God, look at the arms on that girl. Actually, I think that's what I wrote the first time. But seriously, look at those muscles. Why people think it is a good idea to live with something like this is beyond me. It's really a tragedy.

Anonymous said...

That second picture needs a speech bubble that says: "Whud are you lookin' at, bub?"

Anonymous said...

I don't like Chimpanzees, imo they're the ugliest apes... maybe it's because we have a tv show called "Unser Charly" with a Chimpanze and that's the dumbest show I know xD

But that hairless Chimpanze is pretty, really, he reminds me of someone..

Anonymous said...

as a baby she looks like benjamin button