Sweetest Ape at Dickerson Park Zoo Passes Away

Animal lovers are mourning the death of a popular gibbon at the Dickerson Park Zoo in Springfield.

12-year-old Lucu died at the zoo after contracting an acute bacterial infection.

The  siamang gibbon caught the infection about a week ago. He didn’t respond to treatment and died Friday at the Dickerson Park Zoo.

Senior zookeeper Melissa Dickson described him as“by far the sweetest gibbon we’ve ever had here.”

She says Lucu arrived at the zoo back in 2011. She says his mate, Makali, is getting extra enrichment and lots of interaction with her keepers.

Siamangs are found in the wild in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. They are an endangered species.

Lucu and Mikali were part of the Species Survival Pair Program with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

The two did not produce any baby gibbons.